By Dean Weingarten
Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- There are riots in Charlotte, North Carolina, sparked by the shooting of an armed black man by a black police officer.
A motorist caught by rioters blocking the street, briefly displayed what appears to be a handgun.
A video of the alarming moment was posted on social media by writer Heather Head in the midst of the chaos.
‘White dude drives into crowd of peaceful protesters, draws gun, allowed to drive away alive. With my own eyes. #CharlotteProtest,’ she wrote alongside the shocking clip.
The man was surrounded by protesters who were marching against the deadly shooting of black man Keith Lamont Scott by a cop on Tuesday afternoon.”
It is legal to openly carry a firearm in North Carolina, but not in a riot or organized protest, if the carry is intended to further the civil disorder.
From the UK Daily Mail:
The law states: ‘You may not carry a weapon at a parade, funeral procession, picket line, or other demonstration, except for guns carried on a rack in a pickup truck.
‘You may not carry a weapon during civil disorder, riot, or other disturbance involving three or more people.’
The Daily Mail is using a shorthand version of the law, found on the Internet. Their source appears to be criminaldefenselawyer.com. The full statute shows that more is required to make the carry illegal. The law referenced is statute 14-288.20.
(b) A person is guilty of a Class H felony, if he:
(1) Teaches or demonstrates to any other person the use, application, or making of any firearm, explosive or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, knowing or having reason to know or intending that the same will be unlawfully employed for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder; or
(2) Assembles with one or more persons for the purpose of training with, practicing with, or being instructed in the use of any firearm, explosive or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, intending to employ unlawfully the training, practicing, instruction, or technique for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder.
Presumably, the law would only apply to the willful carry of a weapon in a civil disorder, riot, or other disturbance, with the purpose of furthering the civil disorder.
It would be absurd to require an armed person to abandon their arms in the middle of a riot that they become inadvertently caught up in.
The video illustrates the effect of deterrence. After the motorist displays that he is armed, he eventually is able to move through the crowd without being stopped, as he was initially.
In the video, it appears that a police officer on a bicycle rolls up to the driver, and has a brief exchange before the driver drives off.
It is worth noting that the all of the people in the street who are “protesting“, are violating North Carolina law. It is illegal to obstruct the highways and roads in North Carolina, as it is in every state.
©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
About Dean Weingarten;
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Not a single person who brandished a gun in any of the riots across the country has been physically assaulted. Agree with it or not, it works. Cant say that about all the unarmed folks who got beat down and hit in the head with bricks and robbed.
E.A. : There is a reason ‘brandishing’ is generally wrong. Because when the weapon is ‘out’ and being waved around, it becomes a ‘threat’ to you. And don’t the cops generally shoot the perp, when he takes out his weapon and points it at them? Do you want to make THAT illegal..with your ‘common sense’ question. Likewise with you. If the perp whips his weapon ‘out’ and points it at you, you will feel ‘threatened’ and most likely justified in shooting that perp without waiting for him to shoot first. Carrying is not a threat to me. Brandishing in front… Read more »
Open carry is open carry. Brandishing is yet another “common sense” infringement to our right to keep and bear arms. He is using his firearm to stop an attack that he perceives as feasible, as several of the factors preceding uncontrolled violence so common lately have already occurred, and he is not necessarily ventilating anyone as he does. Isn’t it time to stop compromising for a “middle ground” between common sense gun control and our RKBA without infringement from those prohibited to do so? Because, if you look closely, the only ones that have compromised so far, and keep being… Read more »
Tionico:
IF he was innocently ‘stuck’ in the crowd by making a wrong turn….- then I can see doing what he was doing. IF he drove into the crowd on purpose – then he’s an idiot.
You are nuts if you ‘jump into the lion’s den’ to make a point. However, if you FALL in, then ‘whip it out’ and get the hell outta; there!
This is NOT a “Brave” man. He is an idiot. WHY invite a possible deadly incident? Has he such a low feeling of self-esteem, that this is the only way that he can feel Good About Himself? AGAIN: These people are protesting the Murders, by the Cops, of Unarmed People of Color. Maybe if the man would take a moment & try to understand WHY these people are so frustrated & upset, he may NOT resort to such foolish actions (Which in America, ALWAYS results in the use of a firearm.). That is if he can think long enuf w/o… Read more »
There have been several responses to this —–where are they?
I met a young Louisiana transplant, in Charlotte, that used the same tactic during the Rodney King riots, in Los Angeles. It worked then, too. I wonder…..
Open carry of a pistol/revolver means in a holster, not in the hand. This is brandishing. Not that I wouldn’t do the same.
Black lives matter-NOT
Macho-Man. But COULD have turned U G L Y ……What would he have done if some dumb-ass thug kicked the side of his car? Get out and threaten him with a gun? Try to ‘arrest’ the thug? Then when 15 of them surrounded the car – shoot ’em all??
Don’t be stupid, Macho-Man. May make you feel good for a moment….and we all feel good about standing down some thugs…..but what if..?
Not worth it, in the long run.