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Maybe It’s Time for Gun Owners to Step Up
If you recognize the name of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, you might be remembering that the Aryan Nation marched through its streets twenty years ago. It also has a colorful history and is named after an American Indian tribe. Most recently, though, it has gained 
attention as it takes up arms against Black Lives Matter.
When BLM decided to organize protestors in the town in June, the locals wanted to be sure that the town was protected. One resident shared the following impressions from June 2:
We just drove downtown Coeur d’Alene. It is packed with armed citizens. I’ve never seen so many AR-15s in my life. There’s at least one thousand armed citizens walking on the sidewalks and the streets are packed with cars and trucks with guys in the back with AR-15 and American flags everywhere. We saw two protesters wearing their little black clothing and black masks and sitting on a step quietly with their little poster board sign saying ‘our system sucks!’ Guess why they’re being so polite.
As many as 300 armed citizens at a time arrived to discourage looting and violence.
In spite of the small number of black people in the town, white citizens showed up to support BLM after the hoopla about George Floyd. Some activists claimed to be intimidated by the armed residents, while others were relieved to know that they would be protected if violence broke out.
* * * * *
A number of thoughts came up for me when I read this story. First, Black Lives Matter is bringing in many of its protestors from the outside to several rural towns; BLM is becoming ubiquitous. Second, there were no reports of problems with the armed citizens who were there; Idaho is an open-carry state. Third, in doing my research, I discovered a surprising number of states allow open carry, ranging from no requirements to apply for a permit or license, to states that had some restrictions. For lists of those states and requirements, you can go here and here.
As I look around at the relentless, illegal and unconstitutional actions of BLM and Antifa, and the tepid response of state and community leaders, if any response at all, a demonstration of force might be appropriate. If some of these officials see that citizens are willing to push back, maybe they would start to take action, like arresting rioters, empowering and supporting their police departments, and holding others accountable for their disruptions and violence. Gun carriers would need to be coached on the best ways to engage (or not engage) the protestors to minimize the possibility of triggering an event.
I realize that encouraging citizens to take up arms is a risky proposition. My goal would be to shame officials into acting and that after an initial demonstration of force, government officials would do their jobs. At that point, I might be satisfied in encouraging the armed citizens to stand down.
What do you think? Is it time to take up arms?
Published in Guns
Well, no, not really. If in fact they were attempting to illegally detain a man with the threat of lethal force, then they were no more acting in self-defense than is a kidnapper trying to resist being killed by his victim. You can call that self-defense, but that seems to me to be stretching the meaning just a bit too far.
It is not clear that they were attempting to illegally detain Arbery, nor is the law cut-and-dry on the matter (skip one minute on the following video):
As I said, “IF.”
As I’ve said elsewhere, I want the law to be upheld. However, if a strict reading of the law allows these guys to be sent to prison, I’m all for it.
I think this is unfair; just unfair as Tim Scott declaring Floyd’s death a murder before it was actually deliberated and found guilty or innocent. The TRUTH is that Floyd might have died at exactly the same moment from the drugs that he had circulating throughout his body, regardless of what position he was in.
We’ll never know. And yes, once again, Chauvin was likely negligent in continuing to order Floyd to be held in a certain position while restraining Floyd, and he was, in my view, certainly negligent in not checking for a pulse for four long minutes while Floyd was dead. But I don’t think that he directly caused Floyd’s death. It anyone did, it was the policeman who was kneeling on Floyd’s back.
Nevertheless the notoriety of the death and the hyped emotion will probably make Chauvin the scapegoat because he was on the video. Either way his life is ruined. And that my be better justice than prison.
Do you actually know that this was illegal? Not whether it should be, but that it was illegal?
Yes, and Mr. Arbery might have died of COVID-19 at exactly the same moment that Mr. McMichael shot him in the chest with a shotgun.
Okay, dark humor aside, let me be clear that I’m expressing my opinion. As I’ve said elsewhere, and will say again, I want the law to be upheld. I’m neither judge nor jury, and I’m certainly no executioner.
My impression, based on what I’ve read, is that these men were at best criminally irresponsible and that they wrongfully killed a man. I think the evidence — that is, what little I’ve seen — to that effect is pretty compelling. I’m perfectly content for them to have their day in court, and of course I’ll accept the court’s conclusion.
But as regards my own personal opinion:
So, let the law play out, however it goes. But if these men can be sent away through a responsible application of the law, I’m all for it. And if they can not be, then I’m in favor of the law being changed so that, the next time this happens, the perpetrators can be punished.
No, I don’t. That’s why I said “if.”
Got it. :)
Right now, Blacks can pretty much do whatever they want an no one is going to say a thing. See all the riots.
Heck, in Atlanta, two officers are up for murder for shooting a man pointing a weapon at them. Why? They were white and he is black.
Not True.
See Atlanta.
Yes, that is what I am saying, they are white, they shot a black, they will be summary tried and jailed. You will get your wish. Be happy. Take your win. Not sure why you want to add some legal mumble jumble that does not matter to anything especially the result.
Because the “legal mumble jumble,” as you put it, is the stuff that matters. Not the baiting nonsense about skin color.
No it does not. Laws are bs boilerplate that the powers use to do what they want. Current anything against whitey. Take your win, your imaginary reasons for it matter not.
That’s certainly the perspective of the thugs in the street.
It is the perspective of that nation. That is reality today, right now. The Elites, who control every institution and almost all governments think this way.