Gun Toting Protester

By now, you have all seen the various stories on open carry at some of the town hall protests. I've withheld comment because the rest of the conservative and libertarian bloggers have done a great job covering this but I'm moved this morning to make an observation.

As you read the news stories and commentary you may, as I was, be struck by the wording. It runs along the lines of;
Gun toting protester
Armed protester
protesters open carrying
and such.

How about this? Substitute all those names and descriptions with

Citizen.

Just that, nothing more. See, the Second Amendment is a Civil Right. It's a given. It's the default setting. It is not the exception. Saying a Citizen is armed should be like saying water is wet. Well DUH! Is should be assumed that a Citizen will exercise his or her right to be armed wherever and whenever they damn well please.

I see the left and squishy right talking about seeing this as an attempt at violence and intimidation and I laugh. They just don't get it. American Citizens do not get intimidated by anyone and feel no need to try and do so to anyone else. Open carry is exercising a Right, nothing more. A Right we practice only on sufferance isn't a Right at all, it's privelege granted or rescinded by someone else.

Screw that. I'm a police officer and I do not feel fear at the thought or sight of armed Americans and if the reaction to open carry so far is any indication, neither do my brothers and sisters in other departments across this great country.

If the left and squishy right get their panties wadded at this exercise by law abiding Citizens then I for one am glad. It's just another indication that they do not understand what it means to be an American and helps to identify them for what they are.

Fascist news media we should be ignoring or Socialist politicians we should be firing as the case may be.

Do not be afraid. Do not allow yourself to be silenced. Exercise your rights, ALL your rights, confident in the knowledge that you are a Citizen and not a subject.

The Six