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Demonstrators Who Brought Guns and an Opposing Message: ‘Shoot Back’
By JULIE TURKEWIT
MARCH 24, 2018
...More than 100 supporters of gun rights gathered at the state Capitol in Helena, where several children held a placard declaring students in gun-free zones to be “sitting ducks.” In Arizona, Second Amendment proponents carried rifles through Phoenix, sometimes clashing with other protesters. In Salt Lake City, the rally drew 500 participants, according to an estimate by the police.
In Boston, where Second Amendment supporters gathered in front of the Statehouse, the organizer Paul Allen, 62, a retired construction worker, described supporters of gun control as “ignorant sheep who are being spoon-fed by liberal teachers.”
“They haven’t read the Constitution,” he said, “and they don’t know what it means.”
In Utah, the rally for gun rights began outside a high school with a prayer, “The Star-Spangled Banner” and shouts of “Long live freedom!”
In one corner stood Brandon McKee, 46, with a firearm on his belt and his 11-year-old daughter, Kendall, by his side. Kendall wore braces and a hat that said “unicorn” across the band.
“I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines,” said Mr. McKee, who works as a delivery man for a local school district. “The other side is passionate and they are well organized. And it’s time that we stand up for our rights before they get taken away.”
He explained why he carries his gun at all times.
“When emergencies happen, cops are minutes away when seconds count,” he said. “I can’t depend on anybody else to defend me or my family.”
The march set off down a wide avenue, but tensions erupted almost immediately as a single infiltrator — Linda Peer, 67, from Torrey, Utah — took to the front of the line, holding a sign calling for stricter gun laws.
The pro-gun group heckled her.
“She’s not a true American!” yelled a man in an orange jacket. “Shame on you!” the group chanted as she darted between protesters with her sign. “Shame on you! Shame on you!”
The marchers passed several Mormon Church buildings, with the man in orange still heckling her, and then climbed a hill to the Capitol, where they ascended a series of white steps.
A man in camouflage turned his attention to a woman on the steps who appeared to be part of a gun control group.
“You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” he shouted at her. “Are you even from this country?”
The counterprotest in Salt Lake City was organized by Bryan Melchior, co-owner of the Utah Gun Exchange, a website that sells firearms.
Mr. Melchior said he recently had met many young people who felt that the growing call for stricter gun laws did not represent their views.
Among them was Cody Frandsen, 17, a high school senior wearing a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap. “I feel like an outsider,” said Mr. Frandsen, standing with friends who nodded in agreement. “A lot of the millennials, our age group, is left-leaning.”
The group began talking about gun laws it might be able to support.
“I’m totally for a background check,” said Mr. Frandsen, noting that he supported universal checks.
“I think there should be a mental health check” before purchasing a gun, said his friend Logan Coffey, 17. “And the government should know where every single firearm is.”
Of those who marched in Washington in support of gun control, Mr. Frandsen said he did not agree with anything “they have to say,” adding, “But I’m sure we could come up with some kind of compromise.”
Demonstrators Who Brought Guns and an Opposing Message: ‘Shoot Back’
By JULIE TURKEWIT
MARCH 24, 2018
...More than 100 supporters of gun rights gathered at the state Capitol in Helena, where several children held a placard declaring students in gun-free zones to be “sitting ducks.” In Arizona, Second Amendment proponents carried rifles through Phoenix, sometimes clashing with other protesters. In Salt Lake City, the rally drew 500 participants, according to an estimate by the police.
In Boston, where Second Amendment supporters gathered in front of the Statehouse, the organizer Paul Allen, 62, a retired construction worker, described supporters of gun control as “ignorant sheep who are being spoon-fed by liberal teachers.”
“They haven’t read the Constitution,” he said, “and they don’t know what it means.”
In Utah, the rally for gun rights began outside a high school with a prayer, “The Star-Spangled Banner” and shouts of “Long live freedom!”
In one corner stood Brandon McKee, 46, with a firearm on his belt and his 11-year-old daughter, Kendall, by his side. Kendall wore braces and a hat that said “unicorn” across the band.
“I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines,” said Mr. McKee, who works as a delivery man for a local school district. “The other side is passionate and they are well organized. And it’s time that we stand up for our rights before they get taken away.”
He explained why he carries his gun at all times.
“When emergencies happen, cops are minutes away when seconds count,” he said. “I can’t depend on anybody else to defend me or my family.”
The march set off down a wide avenue, but tensions erupted almost immediately as a single infiltrator — Linda Peer, 67, from Torrey, Utah — took to the front of the line, holding a sign calling for stricter gun laws.
The pro-gun group heckled her.
“She’s not a true American!” yelled a man in an orange jacket. “Shame on you!” the group chanted as she darted between protesters with her sign. “Shame on you! Shame on you!”
The marchers passed several Mormon Church buildings, with the man in orange still heckling her, and then climbed a hill to the Capitol, where they ascended a series of white steps.
A man in camouflage turned his attention to a woman on the steps who appeared to be part of a gun control group.
“You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” he shouted at her. “Are you even from this country?”
The counterprotest in Salt Lake City was organized by Bryan Melchior, co-owner of the Utah Gun Exchange, a website that sells firearms.
Mr. Melchior said he recently had met many young people who felt that the growing call for stricter gun laws did not represent their views.
Among them was Cody Frandsen, 17, a high school senior wearing a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap. “I feel like an outsider,” said Mr. Frandsen, standing with friends who nodded in agreement. “A lot of the millennials, our age group, is left-leaning.”
The group began talking about gun laws it might be able to support.
“I’m totally for a background check,” said Mr. Frandsen, noting that he supported universal checks.
“I think there should be a mental health check” before purchasing a gun, said his friend Logan Coffey, 17. “And the government should know where every single firearm is.”
Of those who marched in Washington in support of gun control, Mr. Frandsen said he did not agree with anything “they have to say,” adding, “But I’m sure we could come up with some kind of compromise.”
Demonstrators Who Brought Guns and an Opposing Message: ‘Shoot Back’
