Gun backers urge rallies with unloaded rifles
Organizers are encouraging gun rights supporters to bring unloaded rifles to rallies at state capitols across the U.S. this weekend, pushing back against a wave of student-led gun violence protests that some see as a threat to the Second Amendment.
A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans spread word of the gatherings on social media. Organizers have permits for rallies Saturday outside 45 statehouses, said David Clayton, of West Virginia, one of the coalition’s founders.
The plan for rallies rally comes less than three weeks after hundreds of thousands marched in Washington, New York and elsewhere to demand tougher gun laws after the February school shooting that killed 17 in Parkland, Fla.
Clayton said a new gun law in Florida and similar measures being considered in other states threaten the rights of law-abiding gun owners. He said those attending rallies are encouraged to carry rifles — unloaded, with no magazines inserted — in states where it’s legal. “We’re not going to go there looking for a fight,” Clayton said. “We’re saying, ‘Look at all the people gathered here. We have a voice too.’ ”
Most U.S. states allow long guns to be carried openly in public spaces, though other legal restrictions may apply.
Assembling near a state Capitol could prove expensive, at least for organizers in Georgia. They’re being asked to pay about $6,700 to cover overtime for state troopers to provide security. Capt. Mark Perry of the Georgia Department of Public Safety said that’s because the rally is on a weekend. Permitted assemblies are free on weekdays when statehouse security is fully staffed.
“It’s an insult,” said Atlanta rally organizer Chris Hill, who said he has no intention of paying.