# 2nd Amendment demonstration **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 24, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225 "2013-02-24T05:09:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/1 "2013-02-24T05:09:53Z")
Driving on a Costco run today in Kirkland WA (it’s an Eastside suburb of Seattle) with my family, I saw a group of maybe [20 boisterous middle aged folks](http://kirkland.patch.com/articles/video-kirkland-pro-gun-rally-draws-dozens-from-around-puget-sound) waving signs. What the hey are they protesting until I saw a sign “The 2nd [protecs](http://o2.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/600x450/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/2d5917647d28025a6decae875dad31d1)the 1st” and several people openly carrying assault style rifles. [Gotta love the irony of people that can’t even spell “protect” have our backs against the tyranny of government] There was one police car nearby with an officer standing on the sidewalk maybe 30 feet away from the demonstrators. You know what bugged me about all of that? Painting with a broad brush and all. While it probably isn’t the intent of pro gun enthusiasts, but they are an armed mob. Mob is not the right word, but they certainly don’t give off the vibe of responsible gun owner you’d be welcomed to walk up to and have a GD style debate with. Plenty of other demonstrators can be downright hostile but they don’t openly pack heat. Not this group, nosiree Bob, they were boisterously in your face, and backed up with the courage of Smith and Wesson. And not that one correlates with the other, but then of course less than a mile away camped outside of Costco was a “impeach Nobama” table with posters of Obama sporting a hitler stache. Kirkland is a class act I tells ya. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/2 "2013-02-24T05:33:01Z")
I know that there are posters on this board who defend the brandishing of firearms at public rallies, but being a liberal, I tend to agree with Ronald Reagan on this issue: > [@](#): > > “There’s no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons,” said California Gov. Ronald Reagan in May 1967, after two dozen Black Panther Party members walked into the California Statehouse carrying rifles to protest a gun-control bill. Reagan said guns were “a ridiculous way to solve problems that have to be solved among people of good will.” > **[7 uncovered quotes that reveal just how crazy the NRA's become](https://www.salon.com/2013/01/23/7_uncovered_quotes_that_reveal_just_how_crazy_the_nras_become/)** > > The organization once supported reasonable gun control laws. Now it's a lobby group for paranoid extremists ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/3 "2013-02-24T06:01:39Z")
What. 20 guys outside with signs is a demonstration now? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/4 "2013-02-24T06:09:36Z")
Good on them for exercising their 1st Amendment right to peaceably assemble. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/5 "2013-02-24T06:39:55Z")
I am an avid gun enthusiast, and NRA member and a strong supporter of 2nd amendment rights. But, the public display of weapons, the AR15 slung over the shoulder type statement, does not serve to put non-gun owners at ease. It is like rubbing their nose in it. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I do not support such displays. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/6 "2013-02-24T06:55:22Z")
Wonder what would have happened if someone had burned an American flag in front of them. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/7 "2013-02-24T07:04:36Z")
From the point of view of a strong Second Amendment supporter, at what point does carrying a weapon in public go too far? I’ve heard talk that the remedy for shootings is to have more armed people out there. These armed citizens would defend the public against the shooters. So how does it work? If you’re inconspicuously armed and you see a guy carrying a AK-47 and some bandoliers of ammo heading towards the food court at the local shopping mall, are you supposed to stop him or salute him as a fellow believer? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/8 "2013-02-24T07:40:44Z")
If it makes you feel any better, the people with the Obama-Hitler-'stashe poster were probably Larouchies, and everyone whose opinion matters stopped paying attention to them decades ago. As to the question of the 2nd amendment protecting the 1st, I can only wonder if these protestors have heard of the Missouri legislator who wants to [have his fellow lawmakers arrested if they propose any new gun regulations.](http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/02/19/1607891/unconstitutional-missouri-bill-makes-it-a-felony-for-lawmakers-to-propose-gun-safety-legislation/) ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/9 "2013-02-24T07:46:36Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > What. 20 guys outside with signs is a demonstration now? Is there some minimum number of people in order to qualify as a demonstration? ---
**Author:** ![SirGalahad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@SirGalahad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirGalahad)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/10 "2013-02-24T10:50:09Z")
Here’s another sort of challenged protest: > **[Funny Political Protest Signs](https://www.liveabout.com/funniest-political-protest-signs-4095640?PS=898%3A6)** > > A gallery of funny political protest signs, featuring both clever slogans and unintentionally funny displays of idiocy. I guess not everyone with an opinion is a genius. I don’t like the overt style of trying to change things in ways that alienate the folks that might be on the fence about a controversial issue. Preaching to the choir is a waste of time, and borderline voters will be turned off by activists carrying military-looking weapons. These folks aren’t helping. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/11 "2013-02-24T14:36:23Z")
The absurd notion that “the 2nd protects the 1st” is chiefly held by mental midgets. It would be perfect irony if someone in the crowd got spooked and shot someone else, leading to everyone in the crowd opening fire on everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/12 "2013-02-24T14:58:30Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Is there some minimum number of people in order to qualify as a demonstration? No, one person can demonstrate–as Marian Stewart was on this scene (for gun control). This lot hardly looks “boisterous” or “in your face” to me. Did they even have amplification? ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/13 "2013-02-24T15:32:34Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The absurd notion that “the 2nd protects the 1st” is chiefly held by mental midgets. Dick-less wonders and the women who love them anyway! ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/14 "2013-02-24T16:18:12Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > No, one person can demonstrate–as Marian Stewart was on this scene (for gun control). > > This lot hardly looks “boisterous” or “in your face” to me. Did they even have amplification? Yes, they had an application. 20 or 30 people on one small street corner shouting loudly, frantically waving their signs and holding weapons seemed pretty boisterous to me as I drove in the lane next to them at 25 mpg. Not sure on amplification but I could definitely hear them inside a mini van full of loud kids. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/15 "2013-02-24T17:14:09Z")
Of course I only have the video the went with the link to go by but the day room at my grandmothers nursing home was more boisterous. Very scary. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/16 "2013-02-24T17:48:59Z")
IMHO, bringing the guns along is counter-productive. You want to show that for every spree-killer and criminal, there are thousands and thousands of law-abiding gun owners: people who keep their sport and home defense weapons in a safe, appropriate place. So just bring your (spell-checked) signs and that will make your point, unless you want to look like overaged children who got the guns for Christmas but not the paper-fiber cowboy hat or molded plastic army helmet to go with it. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/17 "2013-02-24T18:21:39Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > 20 or 30 people on one small street corner shouting loudly, frantically waving their signs and holding weapons seemed pretty boisterous to me as I drove in the lane next to them at 25 mpg. Not sure on amplification but I could definitely hear them inside a mini van full of loud kids. YMMV. You could hear them because you were right next to them. But still, that’s pretty sedate as political demonstrations go–you just got bug-eyed by seeing the guns. I agree that this group was presenting poorly, and rifles _in this context_ are part of that. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/18 "2013-02-24T18:30:30Z")
If there weren’t people who were trying to outlaw those guns, there wouldn’t be a reason for this type of demonstration. I’m sure they will back off if you (the general you) back off. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/19 "2013-02-24T20:10:30Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Yes, they had an application. > > 20 or 30 people on one small street corner shouting loudly, frantically waving their signs and holding weapons seemed pretty boisterous to me as I drove in the lane next to them at 25 mpg. Maybe they were upset about the rate at which you were burning up precious fossil fuel there. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225/20 "2013-02-24T20:35:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > From the point of view of a strong Second Amendment supporter, at what point does carrying a weapon in public go too far? > > I’ve heard talk that the remedy for shootings is to have more armed people out there. These armed citizens would defend the public against the shooters. > > So how does it work? If you’re inconspicuously armed and you see a guy carrying a AK-47 and some bandoliers of ammo heading towards the food court at the local shopping mall, are you supposed to stop him or salute him as a fellow believer? The threshold is the weapon being held in a ready position. A handgun in its holster or a long gun shouldered on a sling are not being wielded. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > The absurd notion that “the 2nd protects the 1st” is chiefly held by mental midgets. It would be perfect irony if someone in the crowd got spooked and shot someone else, leading to everyone in the crowd opening fire on everyone else. [I asked if this had ever once happened.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=659872) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-demonstration/651225.md?page=2)