Oh, I feel more secure already...
Activists and gun fetishists are pushing the city of Royal Oak to allow some people to carry loaded guns around inside the Arts, Beats and Eats festival. They claim there is nothing to worry about. What could possibly go wrong?
This idea that we only have to worry about criminals with guns is nonsense. The reality is, we have to worry about accidents, stupidity and incompetence too.
http://tinyurl.com/2wbpye5 - google search for "man shoots self with own gun" = 29,500,000 results.
http://tinyurl.com/353ouoy - google search for "child shot in accident with parents gun" = 88,900,000 results.
I own guns and I have had a CCW licence. The class you have to take only teaches you the basics of handling a gun, it does not train anyone how to act under pressure. We pay police to be trained in that.
I know some people who are so stupid I would not let them watch my dog for a minute but the state saw no reason to deny them a CCW. It makes me feel much less secure knowing that there are random civilians walking around with loaded guns when I am out with my family.
The 2nd amendment gives us the right to "bear arms" (own guns), but it does not give us the right to take them everywhere and anywhere. There have to be reasonable limits. One persons rights end where someone else's begins. Walking down the street or going into a private building that allows it is one thing, but a public festival, especially a family event, is something else entirely. It has been a long standing legal precedent that communities can decide not to allow weapons in public places. This is really about a bunch of activists who want to change the law.
In my opinion the people pushing this are extremely selfish. Carrying their guns with them everywhere only makes them feel more secure. It makes most people around them feel less secure.
This isn't the wild west. We have police now a days. We don't need civilians carrying their guns around in arts festivals. Just because you can carry a concealed weapon doesn't mean you should carry one everywhere. This is a matter of common decency and being a civilized society.
If the city of Royal Oak allows people to carry loaded weapons I will not be going to the festival and all the people who feel as I do will probably also choose to avoid it.
If they do allow guns in the festival I suggest they warn people by changing the name of the festival. Choosing a name like "Arts, beats, eats and loaded guns" would just be truth in advertising. They could also go with "Arts, beats and heat", or maybe "Arts, beats and bullets". I am just throwing them out there. I am sure the city could pay a marketing firm to come up with a lot of better suggestions.
Comments
If the author looked into the situation rationally he would know that the Police Chief has no problems with open carry at the festival.
If you are so afraid of people that you need to show you are armed and dangerous, you don't need a gun, you need a therapist.
@TubaTed you are exactly right. There is no good reason any civilian needs to carry a gun at an art festival. It is selfish in the extreme.
We don't have a bill of 'needs', we have a bill of rights.
@ Anonymous: How is it "selfish"? Please explain. I actually consider it selfish that you would prefer to restrict my ability to defend myself in an extreme situation, yet you make no offer to provide any replacement remediation, and no guarantees of my safety.
Selfish, indeed.
@PavePusher47 What do you need to defend yourself from at an art fair?!? It is indeed very selfish because only the person with the gun feels safer and everyone around them feels less safe. (which it already said in the article if you had bothered to read it)
Was it selfish for African Americans to buy in white neighborhoods when it made others around them feel less safe?
As was pointed out earlier, the chief of police has stated it does not concern him, so your whining has no basis in fact
Since when is a "need' required to exercise rights?
If carrying a gun with you anywhere was a right, you could not be required to get a CCW permit.
You do not have a right to carry loaded weapons anywhere you want. We have 100+ years of legal precedent to back that up.
In most states you do not need a permit of any kind to carry open, the ccw is just a money game like zoning laws building permits and cdl's
You said you have a ccw, Its ok for you to carry yours concealed but no for someone else to carry openly? By the way The police department , be they state , city, or county are civilians.Unless you are in the armed forces not matter what your job then you are a civilian
@PavePusher47 said " What do you need to defend yourself from at an art fair?!?" Well what do you need to defend yourself from at Mcdonalds or the mall or a lubys or a school or at work or at church or the post office or the clinic? you get the idea or at least some of you do. If this open carry happens It will be the safest place on the planet for a while.
Kyle, SUCK MY GUN RIGHTS!
Gun Rights Forever, KKKommuKKKrats never!
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