Over at his blog, The Dixie Pig, Del. Scott Surovell (D-44) shares his thoughts on the “open carry”, “Restore the Constitution” rally scheduled for today at Fort Hunt Park in his district. According to Surovell, his constituents are reacting with “concern, fear, and outright anger with some.” The bottom line, from Surovell’s perspective, is that “writing a letter to the editor, starting a blog, or running a TV ad are much more effective methods of communication than staging a rally with a loaded and/or unloaded weapons in what is really a suburban neighborhood park just because you can do it.”
For all of Del. Surovell’s thoughts on today’s anti-government, “open carry” rally in Fort Hunt Park, click here. What do you think?
P.S. As the Washington Post story points out, “Those coming to the “Restore the Constitution” rally give Obama no quarter for signing the law that permits them to bring their guns to Fort Hunt, run by the National Park Service, and to Gravelly Point on the banks of the Potomac River. Nor are they comforted by a broad expansion of gun rights in several states since his election.” That’s right, Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress have expanded gun rights since they took office in January 2009. Why don’t they get any “credit” for this from pro-gun folks?
UPDATE: Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th, VA) weighs in.
The free association and gathering of individuals is a constitutionally protected right that all Americans should support, regardless of whether one agrees with the substance of the protest. Holding an armed rally at a public park however, raises major public safety concerns.
These anti-government demonstrations are fueled by the belief that our constitutional rights under the Second Amendment are somehow under attack and urgent action is needed. While this may be a powerful rallying point for special interest groups, the claim could not be further from the truth. In fact, much to my dismay, virtually every action the federal government has taken in the past decade has weakened commonsense gun laws already on the books.
I understand that the Park Service is well aware of the situation and is working to ensure the public’s safety is protected. I urge anyone attending the event to protest in a peaceful manner, respectful of the park and its visitors. I maintain my belief that firearms do not belong in national parks but unfortunately, that’s now the law of the land.
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