Obama Protester With Semi-Automatic Rifle Part Of 'Publicity Stunt'

A number of YouTube videos have shown a man carrying an AR-15 rifle to a pro-Obama health care reform rally outside the president's speech in Phoenix on Monday. He was one of at least a dozen men carrying unconcealed weapons at the event, according to the AP.

The Arizona Republic reports that before attending the rally, the AZ-15 toter who self identifies as Chris met with members of two local libertarian groups, PR4409 and Freedom's Phoenix, with whom he had worked in support of Ron Paul's presidential campaign.

In a YouTube video produced by PR4409, Chris is asked before leaving for the Obama rally if he plans on "water[ing] the tree of liberty"--a reference to Thomas Jefferson's quote about the need for a violent revolution from time to time. With the AR-15 slung over his shoulder, Chris replied, "I hope not."

Later in the day, when asked by a man at the pro-health care reform rally if he thought the "solution may be some sort of violent revolution," Chris changed his tone. "I believe that may unfortunately have to be the way," he said.

Monday's events that led to these menacing words were preconceived as a publicity stunt.

Ernest Hancock, who is credited with designing the logo for the "Ron Paul r3VOLution," told CNN's Rich Sanchez on Tuesday that the public display of guns was planned well in advance. The Arizona Republic reports,

Hancock met with a Phoenix police officer last week, informing him that he and others in his group planned to bring firearms.
When Sanchez suggested many people would see it as a "publicity stunt," Hancock responded: "Absolutely."

Towards the end of the first video, Chris says while carrying his semi-automatic AR-15, "To be honest with you, I just wanted to know if I would still be free to exercise my rights in downtown Phoenix."

The quote about violent revolution and Chris' statement that he simply wanted to excercise his right to carry a firearm start around 9:20.

 

 

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Comments

[admiralrich]

08:38 AM on 08/20/2009

All I have to say is that Obama is a Black Man and thats enough to cause problems for the White population...

Has anyone seen any of this type of behavior for any issues in America when we had White Presidents? If so, name some.

Gun toting, rally raging, name calling society... all cause of a Black Man in the White house, who is just a pawn in this game..

[MalloMel]

08:28 AM on 08/20/2009

If anything were to jump off, he'd be the first one s/h/o/t.

[jaschrod]

08:22 AM on 08/20/2009

This is what happens win rights collide with ignorance.

[rughead23]

06:59 AM on 08/20/2009

Why are peolpe walking around with weapons?

[Middleman420]

07:21 AM on 08/20/2009

You should ask the New Black Panther Party that question. I seem to remember a couple of brothers slinging night sticks at a Philidelphia polling place intimidating voters while in "uniform". AG Holder let that slide. Imagine, at a polling place. While I think the guys with the AR-15s are a bit over the top, they are exercising their 2nd Amendment rights. They had a point to make.....

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

07:57 AM on 08/20/2009

And I'm sure they would have been allowed at a George W. Bush town hall meeting (if he would have ever had such a thing that was open to anyone other than hand-chosen supporters)

[Sean 6399]

01:46 PM on 08/20/2009

It is their constitutional right to do so. Why do you want to violate people's civil rights?

[JOEL1967]

04:03 AM on 08/20/2009

I love the consistancy in Arizona law enforcement. In Scottsdale Az a ROTC student was arrested on disorderly conduct charges for carrying a AR15 look alike ( airsoft ), while in Phoenix one is not arrested for disorderly conduct for carrying the real thing. Now figure that one out.

[JimInHouston]

07:59 AM on 08/20/2009

Well, why don't you tell us about it? Was he on campus? If so, state law may prohibit that. Was he brandishing it, or just carrying it?

[85Percent]

12:41 AM on 08/20/2009

One cannot analyze the Constitution by archaic comma usage. Anyone who deals in historic documents knows that comma usage back then was capricious. One also has to consider what was meant by "militia" in that time frame. A militia was made up of regular citizen volunteers who provided their own weapons. Therefore, to have a militia, the citizens needed the right to own weapons.

Most people are not comfortable with someone else in a crowd carrying a weapon around. No one knows the mental and emotional stability of the person with a gun. No really sane person would strut around in public with a gun. The rest of us have rights, too. We have a right to feel safe and secure.

Since these people cannot act in a rational manner, eventually they will lose all their gun rights. Guns have their place, and that place is NOT at public gatherings.

[Bozwellian]

06:57 AM on 08/20/2009

"Most people are not comfortable with someone else in a crowd carrying a weapon around. No one knows the mental and emotional stability of the person with a gun. No really sane person would strut around in public with a gun. The rest of us have rights, too. We have a right to feel safe and secure.

Since these people cannot act in a rational manner, eventually they will lose all their gun rights. Guns have their place, and that place is NOT at public gatherings."

The MAJORITY are having THEIR RIGHTS VIOLATED by the outrageous displays by the extremes who insist THEY HAVE THE RIGHT even if it INCITES ANXIETY --this is a recipe for disaster...JUST HOW COFORTING is it to have some extremist parading around in the community JUST BECAUSE LEGALLY HE CAN ? IT is INTIMADATION OF ALL OTHERS and sparks MORE concern and call for STRICTER RULES AND REGULATIONS for it HAS happened in the past, someone who was here-to-fore deemed a law abiding , good citizen with NO prior record of disturbance , goes off the deeper end and commits horrendous escapades...DO SOMETHING NOW , the regrets of allowing this to continue to where there is a giant step OVER the line is NOT something to relish or embrace and will be far too late on too many levels from which this country will be fully torn asunder !!!

[Kestrel49]

08:32 AM on 08/23/2009

Wimp – you need to head out to a local gun show. Everybody is walking around with guns and you are probably safer there than walking down the street of your own Town. Get a life – This was political speech, demonstrating the kind of message that needs to be sent to wanabe tyrants and those who would support mob democracy.

[Sean 6399]

01:47 PM on 08/20/2009

"We have a right to feel safe and secure."

You have a right to "feel" something? Could you cite the relevant section of the bill of rights that guarantees your right to a feeling?

[yellowmj6]

12:41 AM on 08/20/2009

I bet you this goober went to public school, a school system that was paid for by tax payers. Damn hypocrites.

[bkca]

12:21 AM on 08/20/2009

Arizona is awesome.

[lcdbsez]

05:35 AM on 08/20/2009

bkca --

Arizona is awful.

There. I fixed your post for you.

[Telemachus]

01:47 PM on 08/20/2009

But Kansas is the Land of Ahhs.

[morris111]

12:08 AM on 08/20/2009

The guy is a goober, but he is exercising one of his Constitutional rights, whether or not you agree or disagree with his motives.

Thank you for not mischaracterizing the rifle and calling an "Assault Rifle". It is an AR-15. It's a 5.56mm, magazine fed, gas operated, semi-automatic rifle. An assault rifle, by definition is select fire weapon - that means it is capable of automatic, and semi automatic operation. The AR-15 is not capable of operating in the automatic mode, and therefore cannot be classified as an "Assault Rifle". Very few organizations have gotten that one right. Thank you.

[jaschrod]

08:25 AM on 08/20/2009

Actions such as this could be one of the building blocks toward amending the Constitution to limit firearms. I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but this kind of action is not warranted.

[Kestrel49]

08:54 AM on 08/23/2009

You fear that by exercising your rights that they will be taken away? Think about what you are saying.

[Bobzmcishl]

11:53 PM on 08/19/2009

Those fruitcakes carrying weapons in Phoenix remind me of the nuts in Dallas in the 1960's who wanted to try Kennedy for treason. When Nixon heard that Kennedy had been shot he immediately called Hoover and wanted to know if a "right wing nut" did it. Well the right wing nuts are still with us and acting like a bunch of drug store cowboys who never grew up. They are a pretty pathetic lot. Most of my conservative friends are embarrassed by those idiots. The Republican Party just gets more and more extreme by the day. It is a sad sight to see so many grown people acting like ten year olds.

[Kestrel49]

09:06 AM on 08/23/2009

Fortunately, our founding fathers did not have the same attitude as you. These events have nothing to do with the Republicans – That party is in chaos and has lost its base support. A year from now you will not even recognize it as the same Party. You are drinking from you own Kool-Aid if you think this is about the same old two party nonsense. Oh, and by the way – Oswald was a socialist. Are the conservatives you are talking to true conservatives? Or, are they the same bunch of mind-numb Neocons robots that destroyed the Republican Party?

[Hrvatica]

11:28 PM on 08/19/2009

Like Pac said... "I stay strapped cause I never get to lay back"

The Panthers carried their guns openly and liberals applauded it then, now they want to demonize this man just because he know ain't sh.it changed just cause they put a black face on the NWO...

[masher]

12:42 AM on 08/20/2009

I wish I could live in the fact free revisionist history you live in.

Most people across the political spectrum are concerned when people start bringing guns out to a protest. Its not panic or freaking out. Its concern and its what sane people do when folk who are yelling have guns.

I'm a actually very proud that Obama hasn't started "free speech zones" the way Bush did. Remember Bush had staged events where only supporters were allowed to ask questions. I have been very critical of Obama but he is handling this one correctly.

Now Pelosi on the other hand needs to go. But that is up to California.

[lcdbsez]

05:33 AM on 08/20/2009

hrv --

Funny, I don't remember "applauding" anybody carrying weapons back in the 60s -- we had JFK and Bobby and MLK all assassinated -- no one who was sane, thought that was "great" -- other than the radical right (who did the killings, btw).

And, you probably think loaded semi-automatic weapons should be allowed at events where the Prez shows up, too -- huh? -- and the SS should just "trust" everyone to be on their best behavior????

You should really get some professional help for your psychological problems, girl -- before you do some harm to yourself . . . or someone else.

[HisPetGoat]

11:27 PM on 08/19/2009

In the SC's current interpretation of the 2nd amendment and the dissenting opinion written by Justice Stevens, the dissent said the right to possess a firearm exists only in relation to the militia. - http://supreme.justia.com/us/554/07-290/dissent.html

Justice Scalia, in the Opinion of the Court, called Justice Stevens' interpretation "incoherent and grotesque".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Judicial_interpretations

So the actual text of the 2nd amendment is simply ignored and dismissed by saying that reading it is "incoherent and grotesque". I guess that must be the "Ewwwwww!" theory of statutory construction.

[Hrvatica]

11:35 PM on 08/19/2009

thats pretty gorss...

[gino618]

11:26 PM on 08/19/2009

And wouldn't you know it.... MSNBC uses footage of this guy carrying around the AR15 in a piece about white racists coming to these meetings armed and how dangerous it is.... conveniently editing the video so you can't see that it's a black man carrying the weapon!!!

And you people complain about manufactured news & lies by Fox?

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2009/08/18/msnbc-no-mention-black-gun-owner-among-racist-protesters

[Hrvatica]

11:34 PM on 08/19/2009

disgus.ting propaganda... I smell an asult weapons ban coming on soon... whens the next gvn show??

[Iscarius]

11:19 PM on 08/19/2009

The Libertarian pledge, a statement individuals must sign in order to join the Libertarian Party of the United States, declares, "I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian_pledge

You have to agree to this become a member of the Libertarian Party. It's neocons and socialists that believe in using force to achieve their utopias.

[Hrvatica]

11:31 PM on 08/19/2009

Libertarians will inheret the earth after the sheeple are led to the slaughter by their shepard B.O. peep

[Middleman420]

07:39 AM on 08/20/2009

Proud to be a Libertarian. The only party in philisophical compliance with the tenth amendment to the Constitution. How is government to work if government doesn't adhere to one of the most important checks on it's power?

[WeCanDoMore]

12:07 AM on 08/20/2009

Wrong. It's the righties that have the guns. The rest of use use words.

[EmmaJ76]

07:41 AM on 08/20/2009

Thank you.

[Iscarius]

04:23 PM on 08/20/2009

Except if I don't want to pay for Obama's healthcare scheme and nation-building in Afghanistan, men with guns will show up and take my money from me.

[rumblingspire]

11:13 PM on 08/19/2009

if i f*rt in an elevator should i be applauded for exercising my rights.