man carries assault rifle to president Obamas speech.. legally.

Check your local laws first. But more people should do this!





PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- A man toting an assault rifle was among a dozen protesters carrying weapons while demonstrating outside President Obama's speech to veterans on Monday, but no laws were broken. It was the second instance in recent days in which weapons have been seen near presidential events.
A man is shown legally carrying a rifle at a protest against President Obama on Monday in Phoenix, Arizona.





Video from the protest in Phoenix, Arizona, shows the man standing with other protesters, with the rifle slung over his right shoulder.
Phoenix police said authorities monitored about a dozen people carrying weapons while peacefully demonstrating.
"It was a group interested in exercising the right to bear arms," police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill said.
Arizona law has nothing in the books regulating assault rifles, and only requires permits for carrying concealed weapons. So despite the man's proximity to the president, there were no charges or arrests to be made. Hill said officers explained the law to some people who were upset about the presence of weapons at the protest. Watch the rifle being legally carried at rally »
"I come from another state where 'open carry' is legal, but no one does it, so the police don't really know about it and they harass people, arrest people falsely," the man, who wasn't identified, said in an interview aired by CNN affiliate KNVX. "I think that people need to get out and do it more so that they get kind of conditioned to it."
Gun-toting protesters have demonstrated around the president before. Last week, a man protesting outside Obama's town hall meeting in New Hampshire had a gun strapped to his thigh. That state also doesn't require a license for open carry.


U.S. Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan acknowledged the incidents in New Hampshire and Arizona, but said he was not aware of any other recent events where protesters attended with open weapons. He said there was no indication that anyone had organized the incidents.
Asked whether the individuals carrying weapons jeopardized the safety of the president, Donovan said, "Of course not."
The individuals would never have gotten in close proximity to the president, regardless of any state laws on openly carrying weapons, he said. A venue is considered a federal site when the Secret Service is protecting the president and weapons are not allowed on a federal site, he added.




In both instances, the men carrying weapons were outside the venues where Obama was speaking.
"We pay attention to this obviously ... to someone with a firearm when they open carry even when they are within state law," Donovan said. "We work with our law enforcement counterparts to make sure laws and regulations in their states are enforced."

 

You won't see that here in So. Cal.

 

chris4x4 DOES NOT need ANY ideas!

 

This is AWESOME!!! More people should do this, and if they try to stop you, say "2nd amendment" and walk on.

 

Why? I don't get it. Why rifle at a protest just to be"flex" ?

 

Thanks..Chris for that enlightment. I asked "why" because I don't understand.Why rifle? Can it be something smaller than rifle?

 

I hear you man

 

Yes, perhaps it was legal, but frankly I'd prefer people not to be walking around with rifles strapped to their backs at public events. We don't live in a 3rd world country, so why act like we do? Its called common sense and if you're hunting or in a super dangerous area that's one thing. But bringing a rifle to a peaceful event " just because" is in my opinion belligerent and doing nothing to make weapons appear in a more positive light at all, and instead does the opposite.

 

Im moving to AZ asap

 

Being a survivor from the genocide, guns in general scared me

 

I was going to post this story yesterday but I was afraid I'd get banned again.

 

I think the bottom line is that people should have the utmost respect for firearms. Not sure if I see that being fulfilled in the story.