# Will the 2016 Republican Convention be a gun free zone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 17, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325 "2016-03-17T22:20:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/1 "2016-03-17T22:20:07Z")
Guns were banned from the 2012 Republican convention, but GOP candidates this election season have been roundly ridiculing gun free zones as sitting ducks for terrorists. So are they going to change that policy, or will they continue to say one thing and do another? For the record, I am quite sure it is the latter, as they have [banned guns from nearly all conservative or republican events](http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/08/25/3694369/conservative-gun-free-zones/) for the last four years, including: Conservative Political Conferences (PACs) George W. Bush Presidential Library Trump Hotels And Golf Courses GOP Town Halls GOP Presidential Campaign Stops GOP Debates GOP-controlled Congress Yet they insist that schools should not be able to ban guns. Somebody should bust them on this. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/2 "2016-03-17T22:22:35Z")
With the Republican Establishment struggling desperately to find a way to arrange for a brokered convention, and Trump ranting about the possibility of riots at the convention if the Establishment tries to thwart his path, I think **not** making it a gun-free zone would be a Very Bad Idea. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/3 "2016-03-17T22:33:58Z")
But if Trump is expecting riots, how will the good guys defend themselves? Somebody should ask him. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/4 "2016-03-17T23:04:26Z")
To protect freedom and as an example it ought to be mandatory for every elected person there, and every delegate, to be issued with state-of-the-art handguns for the duration of the events, bought in a job lot by the RNC from one of the best American manufacturers; be trained in their use by the NRA with daily practice; and be legally indemnified from consequence for self-defence in that period. Also they should have as much free liqueur as they need to steady their nerves. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/5 "2016-03-17T23:26:02Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Also they should have as much free liqueur as they need to steady their nerves. Laced with cocaine, crystal meth and LSD. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/6 "2016-03-18T16:35:12Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > To protect freedom and as an example it ought to be mandatory for every elected person there, and every delegate, to be issued with state-of-the-art handguns for the duration of the events, bought in a job lot by the RNC from one of the best American manufacturers; be trained in their use by the NRA with daily practice; and be legally indemnified from consequence for self-defence in that period. > Also they should have as much free liqueur as they need to steady their nerves. And, the convention should be moved from Cleveland, Ohio, to Barrow, Alaska. Just because Barrow never gets a turn, no other reason. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/7 "2016-03-18T19:11:32Z")
The big advantage of Barrow is the whole outdoors (of which they have plenty) can be used as a temporary body storage freezer until all the body IDs & next-of-kin notifications can be processed. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/8 "2016-03-18T19:17:54Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > To protect freedom and as an example it ought to be mandatory for every elected person there, and every delegate, to be issued with state-of-the-art handguns for the duration of the events, bought in a job lot by the RNC from one of the best American manufacturers; be trained in their use by the NRA with daily practice; and be legally indemnified from consequence for self-defence in that period. > Also they should have as much free liqueur as they need to steady their nerves. Minus the liqueur, this proposal actually has the advantage of demonstrating unequivocally once and for all A) whether an armed society is a polite society and B) whether widespread guns in public enhance public safety. Of course because freedoms (and especially BoR freedoms) apply equally to all citizens, outside groups such as BLM, Cliven Bundy’s crowd, KKK, Wounded Veterans for Nuked Gay Whales, etc., are also free to be given similar weapons or to bring their own. I for one would like to run the experiment and agree in advance that national public policy should be bound by the demonstrated result, whatever it may turn out to be. Rare indeed is the chance to run a genuine social science experiment on this scale. We ought not miss it. I’ll be manning the (armored) booth in the corner selling earplugs. And extra ammo. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/9 "2016-03-18T20:31:43Z")
Are the nuked gay whales [gorilla whales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla)? ---
**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:** [March 18, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/10 "2016-03-18T21:03:31Z")
The only way to stop a bad delegate with a gun is a good delegate with a gun. Why the hell not let the guns in? To a man they all worship the damn things, I say make them pack heat then let them get all pissed off and by the fifth ballot put on a show. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/11 "2016-03-18T21:03:49Z")
There’s going to be a lot of guns there. Whether the delegates get have some is another thing all together. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/12 "2016-03-18T21:10:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Are the nuked gay whales [gorilla whales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla)? I never knew that. Thank you. It’s \*amazing \*the stuff one learns here. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/13 "2016-03-18T21:12:27Z")
As much fun as it is to imagine a Mexican standoff between Trump, Cruz and Jeb!, the Quicken Loans Arena has a [“no weapons of any kind” policy.](http://www.theqarena.com/arena-info/policies) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/14 "2016-03-18T21:24:16Z")
I dunno, at the exhibit hall NRA booth would be a fine place to have a small Gun Show, save for that policy… And before some sourpuss claims we are looking forward to bloody mayhem, no, we are riffing on how it would be the _ **utterly sensible** _ and entirely expected thing to do to have strict weapons restrictions at the convention, in contrast to the recent trend in some GOP-dominated jurisdictions to enable being armed at all times in all places. You don’t need to constitute a citizens’ militia in the room where you are discussing the Ag plank in the platform. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Wounded Veterans for Nuked Gay Whales Their meetings are held at a space whose rent they split with Adult Children of Recovering Victims. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/15 "2016-03-18T23:53:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Are the nuked gay whales [gorilla whales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla)? The only thing that can stop a 200-foot amphibious dinosaur with atomic breath is . . . well, Chuck Norris with his bare hands, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/16 "2016-03-19T00:17:18Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > As much fun as it is to imagine a Mexican standoff between Trump, Cruz and Jeb!, the Quicken Loans Arena has a [“no weapons of any kind” policy.](http://www.theqarena.com/arena-info/policies) But why would the Republicans patronise an anti-gun arena? To be consistent with their principles, shouldn’t they have insisted on hiring a venue that was fun-friendly? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/17 "2016-03-19T00:32:33Z")
By all means, the Republican Convention should be fully gun friendly. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/18 "2016-03-19T00:35:45Z")
Yes, let them demonstrate their principled commitment to the interpretation of the Second Amendment preferred by the saintly late Antonin Scalia. Carry anything you want, concealed or open, just be able to claim it’s for self-defense (against all the other armed nutjobs out there). What? Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/19 "2016-03-19T01:06:36Z")
I specified handguns, since were they to carry assault rifles wherever they go, as did those principled chaps who went with loaded long-arms into cafés and supermarkets a few years ago to make a point, they might fall and go off when propped beside those rickety convention chairs. Obviously American-Made to show patriotism; but I would otherwise suggest those sweet little Chiappa Rhinos, which are discreet, well-fashioned like most Italian arms, relatively inexpensive, innovative, and utterly bonkers to look at. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325/20 "2016-03-19T01:22:13Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > … Chiappa Rhinos, which are discreet, well-fashioned like most Italian arms, relatively inexpensive, innovative, and utterly bonkers to look at. They look like there are slots in the barrel. I find them faintly disturbing. But, my, their rifles are pretty, aren’t they? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-2016-republican-convention-be-a-gun-free-zone/749325.md?page=2)