More than a dozen people packing pistols on their hips strolled down the Hermosa Beach strand Saturday, picking up garbage and distributing fliers about the rights of gun owners.The Village People's "Macho Macho Man, I've Got To Be A Macho Man!" comes to mind, for some reason...No, really!
The event was part of a burgeoning and controversial "open carry" movement nationwide promoting the right to carry guns in public. Although carrying a concealed weapon is illegal without a permit, California allows people to openly carry guns in many areas as long as they are unloaded, though they can keep ammunition with them.
Members of South Bay Open Carry, which organized the beach cleanup, said they hope such events will dispel misgivings about gun owners and make carrying a handgun in public more acceptable. Organizers said they turned the event into a cleanup to demonstrate that they are contributing to the community.
"Just because somebody is carrying a gun doesn't mean that they're a criminal," said Scott Brownlie, a 25-year-old firefighter who stood outside Peet's Coffee & Tea with an unloaded Colt M-4 Carbine slung across his back. "If a lot of people were allowed to carry more … there would be a lot less crime."
And so it goes.
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Unbelievable! It may be legal to carry a gun in public but that doesn't mean that it isn't stoopid. Why? Why would anyone want to openly carry a gun in public? The statement "If a lot of people were allowed to carry more...there would be a lot less crime." Uh.....actually NO! It never ceases to amaze me how many stupid people there are in our society. STOOPID!
ReplyDeleteI find it both scary and sad this happens.
ReplyDeleteAnybody with sense knows if you bring a gun on stage, it will be shot off.
When someone does this, everyone will go to the logic of we need more guns, not less.
...*OR*... there will be a lot *more* crime in the form of shoot from the hip, emotional reaction gun fights on the spot. How long will it be until this "OK Corral" mentality comes into full bloom? How many innocent people will die in the crossfire until we recognize its insanity?
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