Monday kicks off the 4-day dumpster fire called the 2016 Republican National Convention, an honor (curse) bestowed on the great city of Cleveland, OH. Looking back, I suspect Cleveland may be rethinking the decision to welcome this group of GOP leadership descending upon their city in the coming days, but short of a meteor hitting them, they are going to have to suck it up and hope the damage isn't catastrophic.
Ohio is an open carry state, which was a huge concern for the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security, as they do not want RNC attendees bringing guns into the convention.
Ironic, considering one of the major platforms of the GOP is allowing anyone with cash to buy as many guns as they want. You want a machine gun, semi automatic or handgun? No problem! Can't pass a background check, get it off Facebook (wink wink), at gun shows or at gun stores. You know, because that 2nd Amendment allows us to arm ourselves to our eyeballs just in case a "bad guy" with a gun comes at us and we need to act like a sheriff and save everyone.
This is a big problem. The Wall Street Journal reports that Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and police Chief Calvin Williams have both confirmed that they will allow protestors to open carry. Yes, that is right. Protestors can literally stand outside of the RNC, with guns visible and no one will stop them.
Mind you, I don't think they are *happy* with this decision, but the law is the law and open carry doesn't just apply to white Republicans, although recent police shootings of innocent black men with gun permits would say otherwise (see Philando Castile)).
The Mayor said, “Our intent is to follow the law. And if the law says you can have open carry, that’s what it says. Whether I agree with it or not is another issue”
Adding to the mix, the Oath Keepers, a group of ex-military and police, self described "Patriots" (see more here) confirmed that they would also appear at the RNC, fully armed and the New Black Panther Party also said that they may open carry at the event as well.
Well, I see nothing wrong. Everyone is going to have guns, the cops can't stop them from open carrying. Race relations are at a nuclear combustion level. Trump supporters are notorious white supremacists and racists, so having guns in their hands will bring an extra layer of fun to the event.
At this point, the city must have a fully militarized police force over what we saw at the unarmed protests in Baton Rouge last weekend, right? But those protesters were black and I suspect large groups of white armed "good guys" won't worry the authorities as much, right?
Now I know what you are thinking. People can have guns, but what can't they have? Well, here is the list of banned items:
- water guns
- toy guns
- knives
- aerosol cans
- rope
- tennis balls
- canned goods
Yes, those pesky toy guns and hairspray cans are significantly more dangerous than an AK-47, right?
