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Trendy small town gun picnics are all the rage!

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Dan W:
 Found this article over on GlockTalk

http://volumeone.org/blogs/The_Daily_Shakedown/post/1044/Trendy_small_town_gun_picnics_are_all_the_rage.html

Trendy small town gun picnics are all the rage!

Man, ?open carry gun picnics? seem to be all the rage these days. Never heard of them? Basically, people looking to educate the public on Second Amendment rights organize a good ol? fashioned cookout where everyone is encouraged to attend, and hey, if you own a gun, bring ?er along! There was one in Onalaska back in May. I?m assuming the more important goal of these events is to combat negative perceptions of gun owners. At any rate, it?s just kind of a whacky concept, and much to organizers? delight, grabs a lot of attention.

Personally, I do not have a negative perception of most gun owners (I actually own a hunting rifle), yet I can?t help but giggle at the mental image of a small town picnic where everyone?s wearing hip holsters as they stand in line for a brat and some potato salad. If you?re interested, the next nearby open carry picnic is in Glenwood City. And the cops are cool with it. From Chuck Rupnow?s article in the L-T ?

* Glenwood City Police Chief Robert Darwin said he's not overly concerned about hundreds of people coming to the St. Croix County Fairgrounds on Aug. 23 armed with loaded sidearms.
* "I don't have a problem with what they want to do," he said. "They have the lawful right to do that.
* "My concern is how the general public will respond," Darwin said Wednesday. "I hope they will respect it, since it is lawful. The people coming to this are not the kind of people we need to worry about."

The organizer is actually fronting $2,000 of his own money to feed about 400 people with barbecue beef sandwiches, beans, coleslaw, and more. And in case you?re curious, sidearms are not required to attend. And also, in case you?re more curious, firearms can be loaded but must be holstered. And no, alcohol is not permitted.

bkoenig:

--- Quote ---The people coming to this are not the kind of people we need to worry about.
--- End quote ---

Finally, a government official who gets it!  Now, if they all would apply this kind of logic to government we'd be a lot better off.

FarmerRick:
Dan- your link is not working.


I posted this in the "picnic" thread, but here it is again:

From Wisconsin:  http://www.wisinfo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990808037

Posted Aug 8, 2009; 7:00 PM

Gun owners' picnic aims to educate public, assert rights

BY ANDY NELESEN
anelesen@greenbaypressgazette.com

About 40 men ? and a handful of women ? gathered at Ted Fritsch Park Saturday to enjoy burgers and hot dogs and celebrate the right to bear arms.

Most carried a holstered sidearm; some didn?t. All were offering the same message: We are carrying firearms because the law says we can, and we have the right to defend ourselves.

?We?re here to spread the word that open carry is legal and bring some attention to it,? said Dan Cumings, 33, of Green Bay. He had a .357-caliber revolver holstered on his right hip.

Tiana Silva of Appleton said she wore a handgun Saturday simply because she can. Her pink holstered Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun was as much an fashion statement as a self-defense implement.

?I support the Second Amendment and this is one way to do it,? she said.

The open carry issue was pushed to the forefront in recent months when state Attorney General J.B. VanHollen issued an opinion which said carrying a firearm in an exposed holster is not illegal.

Green Bay police reported no problems with the event. Caution tape marked the areas of the park deemed off limits to those carrying firearms ? including the park shelter?s bathrooms.

Saturday?s picnic was a blend of camaraderie for those supporting gun rights and education anyone interested. Some wore classic cowboy-style leather holsters and long-barreled revolvers while others carried the latest in compact resin semi-automatic handguns in hi-tech plastic holsters.

?People keep getting hit with propaganda and disinformation,? said Henry Rahr, 48, of Appleton. ?We are out here and want to let people know what the facts are. It?s a matter of educating people that those of us who do carry are responsible, law-abiding citizens.

?This is a group of people celebrating together the right to open carry.?

Ed Faral, 41, of Green Bay, hopes that open carry gatherings help reduce the fear some associate with handguns.

?I think a lot of that is due to a lack of education ? a lack of familiarity,? Faral said. ?I hope that events like this make firearms in public more ordinary ? not extraordinary.?

Dan W:

--- Quote from: FarmerRick on August 17, 2009, 09:44:17 PM ---Dan- your link is not working.

--- End quote ---

That's what I get for copy & paste...link fixed

FarmerRick:
That is the smallest .50 cal. I have ever seen!!   ;)

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