news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090817/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_protesters_guns

www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/17/man-carrying-semi-automat_n_261279.html

Apparently there was at least one other person with an assault rifle and at least a dozen other armed protestors.

This shit makes me sick. I don't know whether I should be pissed, worried, or just plain disappointed. I know they are within the law, but it is outrageous to me that this is not only tolerated but celebrated by so many Americans. People like this should be rallied against by both sides. I don't care how god damn conservative you are, when you start bringing loaded guns to protests merely to scare the other side you are not worthy of being an American. The whole point is that we have the right to bear arms because we are supposed to know how to be responsible with them. What a shameful shameful image to show the world.

Headline: Man carries loaded gun and doesn't shoot anyone!!!!

Heh it's no big deal really, they are allowed to in that state.   Honestly these people think they are making a statement but in the end one of those idiots will do something stupid and it will give the government a reason to completely ban guns or something similar.

These types of people always ruin things for everyone else.

I agree with you though OP, using scare tactics screams is pretty lame, responsible Americans wouldn't act this way.

Walking around with guns, scaring innocent people around you, hmm perhaps that could fall under terrorism laws? hmm..

Bush sends you, family members, and/or your neighbors to multiple wars (Afghanistan and Iraq).

Headline:  Osama bin Laden remains at large (Afghanistan).

Headline:  No weapons of mass destruction found (Iraq).

Bush creates the Homeland Security Department.

Headline:  Homeland Security will receive a 56 billion dollar budget.

USA Patriot Act passes.

Headline:  People are under surveillance, cable companies, banks, etc. under gag orders.

U.S. Treasury Bails-out AIG, Who Bails-Out Goldman, Who Treasury Bails-Out Again

Headline:  U.S. Treasury Sec. Paulson Former CEO of Goldman Sachs

. . . fast forward . . .

Obama Promotes Health Care Reform

Headline:  Man Brings Assault Rifle to Obama Event (Cries of Socialism Heard)

What the Hell Happened?

Originally posted by Scalebane

Heh it's no big deal really, they are allowed to in that state.   Honestly these people think they are making a statement but in the end one of those idiots will do something stupid and it will give the government a reason to completely ban guns or something similar.

These types of people always ruin things for everyone else.

So if someone wanted to present a case for banning guns, all he would have to do is bring guns to a series of protests? Gee, who would want to do such a thing!

Can you guess who would want to do that? If you can, then maybe you can guess who is bringing guns to protests now. It's so obvious. Do people really think gun advocates are doing this rather than anti-gun activists? It is a strategy.  And if you don't see that, then it may be one beyond your grasp IMO.

  ...Problem -> Reaction -> Solution

Works every time!
 

The President was in no danger at all. The President would never be in danger from one of these scumbags even if the State Law allows them to carry loaded weapons. They would never be allowed within range, and I absolutely guarantee you that a sniper or the very least a close-range police officer had him in their sight at all times. Personally I wouldn't want a loaded sniper rifle aimed at my heart or head  no matter how well trained the person on the other end was.

The point is not that he could have hurt someone, or that even one of these twisted people would ever hurt someone. If someone goes nuts at one of these protests and starts killing I severely doubt it would be someone openly carrying their weapon.

My point is that those of us who want a Government Option for Healthcare, Healthcare for Christ's sake!, have to face opposition walking around with fully loaded assault rifles and handguns strapped to them. Screw that! If you are too F**king dumb to be able to express yourself with words instead of bullets, then you are too F**king dumb to get a say in the matter. By words I mean your own, not soundbytes you get from fat hateful men and batshit-crazy hateful women with microphones.

Since no laws are being broken, I think some in the media are reporting these stories because they are almost hoping that one of these protesters does something outrageous so they can paint them all as nutjobs.

Oh no Laserwolf he carrying an AR15 what will liberals do? Maybe grow some balls?

Of course you won’t notice that a lot of these people carry their weapons conceal. I bet you about 25% of the gathering had their weapon concealed.

No one wants to kill Obama because Obama will destroy the Democrat party for decades. He is the conservative best friend. The best Republican ever.
 

BTW if you want free health care on the back of working people go to the UK or up the border. This country is not for you take your trash somewhere else.

Originally posted by jdun1

Oh no Laserwolf he carrying an AR15 what will liberals do? Maybe grow some balls?

Of course you won’t notice that a lot of these people carry their weapons conceal. I bet you about 25% of the gathering had their weapon concealed.

That's right.  I was going to mention that in the thread on this subject last week, but forgot.  For every gun that is being displayed in the open, there are probably 20 that are under peoples jackets.  You just don't know about them because you can't see them.

Bringing a loaded weapon to a political rally, especially one so hotly debated as healthcare reform, is to me an invitation for disaster. Bringing guns to a political rally makes as much sense as smoking in a fireworks warehouse and smacks more than a little of what is to be expected from a war-torn African nation or Tel Aviv and Belfast in the 1970’s. So far the people who have brought them seem like level headed people. But as we all have found out at one time or another, it only takes one person who takes offence to some comment. Then tempers get flared, words exchanged, lead flies and then blood is spilled. Most likely innocent blood.

It doesn’t take a doctor of Constitutional law to know that people have the right to own weapons. Though I do think it is an archaic and redundant part of the Constitution since I don’t think the British are going to come back and try to take the Colonies back again. They tried that once and it didn’t work out for them. I also don't think anyone else is going to invade us any time in the near future.  But if people want to own guns….fine. If people want to collect guns…fine. If people want to have them in their house for protection…fine. If people want guns for hunting…fine. But bringing a loaded weapon to a political rally for health care reform is plain and simple, an ABUSE of their rights to bare arms and nothing more than an attempt at psychological intimidation. It only take one frack up for this situation to turn very, very ugly.
 

Originally posted by abbaba

Headline: Man carries loaded gun and doesn't shoot anyone!!!!

Yet....

If you noticed he was a black man. Black men who do not polarize themselves with Obama have been getting jumped by union members and mocked by the media in past weeks at protests and rallies. Although its a bit alarming to bring an assault rifle to an Obama Event. I think its more alarming the man carrying it has a far greater chance of being beaten up if he didn't carry it then him actually making use of the gun.

Still think an Assault Rifle, especially an american one is too much to bring to a presidential event if you are a civilian. They are made for killing people with accuracy at range. There are better weapons to use as a deterent.

The 2nd ammendment has many purposes. Defense of nation is part of it. However, its also meant to show every person has access to power. Keeping power small among many is less corrupt then keeping power big among few. Having a nation that can nearly all own an assault rifle is a sure fire way to keep a Stalin or a Hitler from trying to take power.

Headline: Man does something legal, libs throw huge fucking fit.

Originally posted by pyrofreak

Headline: Man does something legal, libs throw huge fucking fit.

No one is questioing the legality of it, just the wisdom of doing it. There are many examples of people doing stupid things that are completely legal. This is just one on them.

Kinda reminds me of politics in the Third World, the use of armed force to make a political point.

Nice to see how this country's democracy is progressing along.......

Maybe next election people can bring their weapons to the polls and hand out leaflets suggesting candidates.

After all, how effective can political persuasion be without weapons?

Originally posted by pyrofreak

Headline: Man does something legal, libs throw huge fucking fit.

You do realize that if 1% of the American population is mentally unbalanced, that is alot of people.

How would you identify which ones are mentally unbalanced when they show up in public with a loaded assault rifle? Interview them first? Or wait to see if they kill anyone?

While in their rights to do so and I agree with "Use your rights, or lose them" this is silly.

Nobody was doing this with Bush, when he was literally criminaling around our government with the C-man.

I'm starting to wonder how much this is really motivated by the issues at hand. We had a dictator for a president prior and now we have a socialist.

It's just a little weird, also it shows the context of which we Americans live by.

Obama has yet to show any signs of being a dictator (yet) meanwhile right out the gate Bush went palpatine on our asses.

Like I said I realize and respect their rights, further more it's not that big a deal they have loaded guns. OH NO! They didn't shoot them right? RIGHT?

Well where the fk were these piss ants when Bush was signing invasion papers that saw not 1 not 2 but 3 of my friends get blown the hell up.

Meanwhile blokes like me were getting maced for protesting.

I just find it ironic, that while yes they are on key with their rights, they are making the power of such a statement look weak given the context. They like WE ALL DO when we bare arms have 2 courses of action after brandishing (not saying they are "Brandishing" persay). Either FIRE or put it away.

This goes to show you how the liberal media reports.  What about this stuff when Bush visited Portland Ore. in 2002.

No such coverage was given to the Portland protest of Bush by The New York Times or the Washington Post, which witnessed the protest.

When Bush visited Portland, Ore., for a fundraiser, protesters stalked his motorcade, assailed his limousine and stoned a car containing his advisers. Chanting "Bush is a terrorist!", the demonstrators bullied passers-by, including gay softball players and a wheelchair-bound grandfather with multiple sclerosis.

One protester even brandished a sign that seemed to advocate Bush's assassination. The man held a large photo of Bush that had been doctored to show a gun barrel pressed against his temple.

"BUSH: WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE," read the placard, which had an X over the word "ALIVE."

Another poster showed Bush's face with the words: "F--- YOU, MOTHERF---ER!"

A third sign urged motorists to "HONK IF YOU HATE BUSH." A fourth declared: "CHRISTIAN FASCISM," with a swastika in place of the letter S in each word.

The angry protest grew so violent that the Secret Service was forced to take the highly unusual step of using a backup route for Bush's motorcade because the primary route had been compromised by protesters, one of whom pounded his fist on the president's moving limousine.

All the while, angry demonstrators brandished signs with incendiary rhetoric, such as "9/11 - YOU LET IT HAPPEN, SHRUB," and "BUSH: BASTARD CHILD OF THE SUPREME COURT." One sign read: "IMPEACH THE COURT-APPOINTED JUNTA AND THE FASCIST, EGOMANIACAL, BLOOD-SWILLING BEAST!"

Ah hell...  the gun show is next weekend?  damn!

Yea,   pretty dumb move really,   some one somewhere is looking for attention.  Some moron or someone else,   I doubt its the NRA but who knows.

The debate will rage on im sure.  Ever since the peasents began arming themselves with armor piercing crossbows and threatning the nobles its been messy. 

Then again the Greeks themselves had quite a few debates of whether armed citizens should be allowed a few thousand years ago.

Originally posted by outfctrl

This goes to show you how the liberal media reports.  What about this stuff when Bush visited Portland Ore. in 2002.

No such coverage was given to the Portland protest of Bush by The New York Times or the Washington Post, which witnessed the protest.

When Bush visited Portland, Ore., for a fundraiser, protesters stalked his motorcade, assailed his limousine and stoned a car containing his advisers. Chanting "Bush is a terrorist!", the demonstrators bullied passers-by, including gay softball players and a wheelchair-bound grandfather with multiple sclerosis.

One protester even brandished a sign that seemed to advocate Bush's assassination. The man held a large photo of Bush that had been doctored to show a gun barrel pressed against his temple.

"BUSH: WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE," read the placard, which had an X over the word "ALIVE."

Another poster showed Bush's face with the words: "F--- YOU, MOTHERF---ER!"

A third sign urged motorists to "HONK IF YOU HATE BUSH." A fourth declared: "CHRISTIAN FASCISM," with a swastika in place of the letter S in each word.

The angry protest grew so violent that the Secret Service was forced to take the highly unusual step of using a backup route for Bush's motorcade because the primary route had been compromised by protesters, one of whom pounded his fist on the president's moving limousine.

All the while, angry demonstrators brandished signs with incendiary rhetoric, such as "9/11 - YOU LET IT HAPPEN, SHRUB," and "BUSH: BASTARD CHILD OF THE SUPREME COURT." One sign read: "IMPEACH THE COURT-APPOINTED JUNTA AND THE FASCIST, EGOMANIACAL, BLOOD-SWILLING BEAST!"

This was a very big deal at the time.

It also regressed alot of activism work due to it.

Like I said man, we were getting sprayed after a certain time and I am absolutely sure it's people like this in this very same quote who caused such things.

Once again though, were our rights being used as a people? The right to protest? Where in any demonstrations near or abouts the president were there weapons involved. This is not the same thing.

A bunch of jackasses with signs that say "FK bush" a powerful statement it's not. As a matter of fact, people like that in my mind are a joke and a scab on actual activism (which in my mind is being active and trying for a change, not just a moment so you can scream and wah wah). They also to quite a right extent had cause to be angry.

Didn't they?Bush made some tough calls that were not popular. Alot of death can be contributed to one mans goals.

So far, the only deaths caused by Obama have been clean up. (though one could counter that the passive nature of the US prior to Bush could of been in fact the cause of many fatalities, such as 9/11, so who knows.)

As I've said prior though , no one was using their right to bare arms because they knew that they'd be cracked down on. This is the president who pushed the patriot act through like a order 66 on freedom, nerdily speaking.

So far, these guys are opening too early, the power of the message is not and I repeat NOT in context to current events.