The convention is to be held between July 18 and 21 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The venue has a policy that states it forbids “firearms and other weapons of any kind” on the premises.
Oh, and by the way, Ohio is already an “open-carry” state, and “Cleveland is one of the top ten most dangerous cities in America,” the petition says.
The petition, whose author remains anonymous, points out the arena’s policy is a direct affront to gun-carrying Americans by not allowing them to have the means to protect themselves if a fight breaks out (These are my words). But the petitioner does point out that the National Rifle Association has said that “gun free zones… tell every insane killer in America… (the) safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk.”
The petition doesn’t stop with just the demand to allow the open-carry of firearms says the Guardian, it also has other demands. It asks for Governor John Kasich, one of the GOP’s three remaining candidates, to use his executive powers as governor to override the rules set on private property, and for the Republican party to explain why a “venue so unfriendly to second amendment rights was chosen for the Republican convention.”
“Every American is endowed with a God-given constitutional right to carry a gun wherever and whenever they please,” the author writes.
The Ring of Fire website is saying that Republican contenders are afraid to endorse the petition, making their convention a gathering that embraces a gun-toting crowd. Are these conservatives who verbally assault those who want gun-free zones afraid to see what could happen in their own crowd? The website asks: “What’s the matter, GOP, afraid to practice what you preach?”
The petition writer asks what would happen if Islamic extremists decided to take out the crowded arena, pointing out that everyone would be sitting ducks. Actually, there will be security at the convention, which the petition writer fails to mention. The Secret Service, Cleveland Police and state and federal law enforcement personnel will be on site to provide security said a spokesman for the Republican Party.
The only candidate to speak out about the petition was Donald Trump, reports the Telegraph. Donald Trump spoke on ABC’s This Week, saying he needed to “study” the petition. Even though he has proclaimed to be a defender of the 2nd. Amendment, he said, “I have not seen the petition. I want to see what it says. I want to read the fine print.”
Second Amendment rights aside, can you imagine what would happen if people were allowed to carry guns to one of these circuses the GOP calls a convention? We have already seen the embarrassing behavior exhibited by the riff-raff Trump seems to appeal to, and we have already seen the violence that results.
The presidential campaign in this country is an embarrassment to everyone, and especially overseas, where we have become the laughing stock. So personally, I would be against arming the crowd. You just never know who might get shot, but then again, why not?
