spin (1000+ posts) Wed Aug-19-09 12:16 PM
Original message
White House Backs Right to Arms Outside Obama Events...
Armed men seen mixing with protesters outside recent events held by President Obama acted within the law, the White House said Tuesday, attempting to allay fears of a security threat.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said people are entitled to carry weapons outside such events if local laws allow it. "There are laws that govern firearms that are done state or locally," he said. "Those laws don't change when the president comes to your state or locality."
Anti-gun campaigners disagreed with Gibbs's comments, voicing fears that volatile debates over health-care reform are more likely to turn violent if gun control is not enforced.
"What Gibbs said is wrong," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "Individuals carrying loaded weapons at these events require constant attention from police and Secret Service officers. It's crazy to bring a gun to these events. It endangers everybody."
***snip***
Ed Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said incidents of firearms being carried outside presidential events are a "relatively new phenomenon." But he said the president's safety is not being jeopardized.
"We're well aware of the subjects that are showing up at these events with firearms," he said. "We work closely with local law enforcement to make sure that their very strict laws on gun permits are administered. These people weren't ticketed for events and wouldn't have been allowed inside and weren't in a position outside to offer a threat." The immediate area occupied by Obama on such trips is considered a federal site where weapons are not permitted, Donovan said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...
Interesting. Obviously, Obama is not trying to limit state firearms laws. I, however, would never bring a firearm anywhere near a Presidential event that I was aware of, either concealed or open carry.
villager (1000+ posts) Wed Aug-19-09 12:20 PM
Response to Original message
1. Gibbs has been shitting his pants over taking a strong stance on anything today, it seems....
n/t
That's because Barry changes his mind on every issue every 72 hours.
SteveM (1000+ posts) Wed Aug-19-09 12:25 PM
Response to Original message
2. Excellent post. The gun presence is bait. Some are going for it...
In other posts on this subject, some folks have advocated disarming these people, arresting, jailing for a week, etc., without a clear understanding of both what the law says and the GOP's baiting tactics. The GOP WANTS to turn this into a government-suppression event, esp. centered around Second Amendment rights. Yet, some of our fellow Democrats want to waltz right into the trap and convert the health care debate into a gun-rights debate -- just what the GOP ordered.
The biggest problem is us: we don't have a health plan to fight for, one that will work for everyone, one that can be paid for. So what do we do? Scream at the gun-toters at rallies, and scream at our fellow Democrats who point out a different viewpoint.
Wanna talk about what is wrong with health care? We need to talk about what is wrong with the Democratic Party and what it stands for.
See, I disagree here. I don't think it is the GOP who is thinking anything. The GOP doesn't have the nuts
to come up with a plan, let alone tell people to bring guns to an event. These are people who are pissed about their rights being overrun by a corrupt government bringing their constitutionally granted firearms to protest something they see as wrong.
The GOP is about as useful as a cold dog turd on a fine china plate.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x248525
