I spoke with Lt. Sean Caradori today, awesome talk and a really nice man, basically here is the jist, there is no law that prohibits open carry in the capitol or on the grounds, hes even had senators ask him and advised them they may open but also they will deal with their fellow senators, but we would be watched like a hawk and also he advised me if somone is open carrying and they step onto the sidewalk they are now on city property not state and may be cited for causing a disturbance by LPD. Obviously this is not the exposure we need. Considering there could be other pro-2a groups that do not share the same feelings as us and opposing groups it would make us look bad. GreyGeeks excellent post and Lt caradori's thoughts on it I would suggest we all agree to follow Grey's advise and even go as far as distance ourselves from individual that make us look bad, or ask them politely to put their weapon in there vehicle or keep away from our group.
On a side not I am not sure if anyone has thought about this but Lt. Caradori told me that we may get a facility use permit and then we will access to power and a podium if we would like to have a speaker (any ideas for speakers). I will make the calls tomorrow for the permit.
Friday night my wife and I are hoping to get to Omaha for Flags and possible stop by RLMoellers for T-shirts since no one else has offered I would be willing to buy some shirts at the sizes you need and bring them saturday.
here is Greys post again which I will be using as advice and suggest we all adopt the same attitude
Hitchcock45 gave the following suggestions, except the first ....
First, in Nebraska, concealed or open carry is not permissible on the Capital grounds or at Political rallies. Leave your weapons in your car.
Second, if you bring signs then BE SURE you keep the statement short, clear, and concise. Use BIG print to make it easy to read from a distance of at least 50 ft, because not everyone will be 3 feet from your sign. Put your sign on a pole that is tall enough to move the sign above the viewpoint of all behind you. AND ABOVE ALL, DO NOT MISSPELL a word or use poor grammar on your sign. If you do then you WILL end up on TV looking like an ignorant fool, and that will be used by the media to smear all the rest in attendance.
Third, dress casual or business. This isn't an "Occupy" event. Come with a big plug of chewing tobacco in your mouth and spitting on the ground or where ever and you'll end up on the news as an "example" of the rest of us. The nearest PUBLIC restrooms with any capacity will be a block North of the North Side of the State Capital, at the State Office Building. Enter on the East or West side. The restrooms are located at the center of the hallway which connects the East and West entrances. If those on the first floor are full you can take an elevator or stairs to the floors above, which all have restrooms in the same relative locations. There will be an empty stall or urinal in one of them. There may be one in the basement as well, I don't remember though because if there is I never used it.
Fourth, If you see someone trying to be part of the protest but they are dressed like rednecks and have crappy, poorly spelled signs then ask them to leave or at least dispose of the sign. They could be folks wanting to make the rally look bad, especially if they want to provoke an argument or even a fight with you. They could be plants ... just like what occurred at some of the Conservative political rallies.
Fifth, DON'T LITER. Take out what you brought in. We aren't occupying anything. We pay the taxes that employ the public employees who clean up behind events, but we don't want to give anyone an excuse to compare us to other protest rallies.
Sixth, EXPECT counter protesters. DON'T argue with them. Don't even talk to them. Keep a good distance from them. If they insist on standing in your face walk toward the center of the rally crowd. Above all, stay out of their faces and let your signs do the talking, but DO NOT push your signs into their faces. You won't change their minds and they won't change yours. Don't be verbally abusive or threatening to any of them, that's assault. Don't touch any of them, that's battery. Don't even make silent "finger guns"or other intimidating actions. Your actions will end up on the news and make the rest of us look bad. Also, don't let anyone sucker you into a Liberal vs Conservative political argument. This rally is about the UNALIENABLE Right we have under the 2nd Amendment to both protect ourselves from the criminal element and from a government gone rogue, and to protest attempts to change or nullify the 2nd Amendment without the due process described in the Constitution. The Constitution is NOT just "our little book". It's the law of the land for everyone, and some people want to take it away from you, one piece at a time.
Seventh. IF you own a video camera with good quality and sound then bring it and be ready to film the interesting points of the rally, or any provocations, including actions of the police. Smartphone videos are second best, but are usually too poor in quality. Regardless, if you see something happening that should be recorded then record it with what ever you have. YOUR vantage point may be the one that answers all the questions or refutes all the wild claims or accusations.
Eighth and last , don't walk around looking like a sheep heading for the slaughter. Have a good time talking with fellow supporters of the Constitution when official speakers are not talking.
I am 71 years old. In my entire life, in my own country, I never thought I would EVER have to attend a rally to defend the Constitution of the United States of America. This is it, folks. NO OTHER issue means as much as this one. All of the Amendments to our Bill of Rights and our personal liberties have suffered SERIOUS erosion during the last 30 years. If we lose this battle for the 2nd Amendment then what is left of the rest of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution isn't worth the paper they are written on. An armed person is a citizen. A disarmed person is a slave.
