Comments on: An Invisible Footnote on the Second Amendment?

By: Skrag

Skrag — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:06:47 +0000

Hear! Hear!, John

By: John Bates Thayer

John Bates Thayer — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:04:26 +0000

Why would anyone in their right mind feel the need to bring an Obama to a meeting on health care? I am opposed to all Obamas and don't even want to own one. Obamas are dangerous to our liberty and should be banned.

By: Dreepa

Dreepa — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:57:44 +0000

You do realize that thousands of people are seeing these videos now.. I think it will be a spark that reignites the open carry movement so that people can get used to seeing guns.

I also think it will make many people wake up and realize that we (libertarians) aren't going to win spread out. It is time to concentrate.
NH is the place to do that.
FreeStateProject.org

Check it out.

(Yes William is often open carrying here in NH which is 100% legal and somewhat normal)

By: Ron Paul On The Ed Show Defending Gun Rights! | #tlot #tcot #rlc #sgp #teaparty #tpp #c4l #liberty « fr33 asheville

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:40:24 +0000

[...] More info at Liberty Maven. [...]

By: LibertarianMike

LibertarianMike — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:06:14 +0000

There's a common thread here that I have to take issue with. The fact that the action is being called a "stunt" or even a "choice" is playing into the hands of those who wish to vilify the man. I don't know what's the case and what's not, but what if the guy normally walks around open-carrying? Suppose that's what he does every day of his life, on a normal basis. Should he disarm on the day of the rally simply because the president is coming past? That would be completely asinine, and accepting unconstitutional and invalid rules/laws that infringe on 2nd amendment rights, and quite counterproductive, indeed.

By: LibertarianMike

LibertarianMike — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:59:40 +0000

> Well, that's because the question of whether or not he had a right to do what he
> did isn't really all that important.

Really? I have to disagree, and say that our rights are of the utmost importance.

> He went to a political rally to make a political point……..I think the method by
> which he choose to do that was, at best, counter-productive.

That may or may not be true.
If peaceably exercising our rights isn't the best tact, what would you suggest?

By: marcg

marcg — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:58:37 +0000

Doug,

These days I have to agree with you about the average voter, but if people didn't do these things I feel we'd be in worse shape. There are many gun owners (who may not be the average voter) who look at this event as no big deal.

And yes, I think there are probably more people out there who view this guy as a nut. I also believe that if more people open carried then this would not have even been news regardless of whether it was outside a town meeting where the President was going to be.

People are quick to condemn someone for carrying a gun even if they are doing so peacefully and for defense only. I'd prefer if they disconnected the "crazy" from it and realized that millions of non-crazies do it every single day without incident. Kostric is a good example of one of those millions.

I realize I'm focusing on the "right" and not the fact that he chose to do it outside an Obama Town Hall meeting holding a provocative sign, which I probably would not do because I wouldn't want the attention. However his "stunt" if it should be called that worked because he was able to get on national TV and show that not all gun carriers are "nuts".

The more this kind of thing happens the more the curtain will go away that seems to surround gun owners reading "WARNING: GUN NUT INSIDE".

By: Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:53:59 +0000

Well, that's because the question of whether or not he had a right to do what he did isn't really all that important.

He went to a political rally to make a political point……..I think the method by which he choose to do that was, at best, counter-productive.

By: LibertarianMike

LibertarianMike — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:51:13 +0000

As usual, I agree with your sentiments, but your points seem to have little to do with thrust of the article. Seem you have a knack for changing the subject.

By: Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:47:04 +0000

No, it means the average voter isn't the type of person who thinks its rational to carry a gun at a political rally.

And it matters what voters think because, well, voters vote.

That's the problem we libertarians have. We spend so much time talking in the echo chamber that we don't stop to think what people who don't spend every day talking politics might think, or how to convince them that our ideas are worth considering.

By: LibertarianMike

LibertarianMike — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:41:41 +0000

So then the average voter is an uneducated idiot?
It only proves the "average voter" doesn't understand what it means to be free, and the responsibilities that come along with it.

What difference does it make, anyway, what the average voter thinks about this situation?

The main point if we don't exercise our god-given rights we will surely lose them.

By: Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:06:32 +0000

Do you really think that the average voter is going to look at this guy and think he's making a valid political point, or are they going to look at him as a nut who took a gun to a Presidential town hall.

Based on the voters I've met over 20-odd years of retail politics, I'd say it's more likely to be the latter.