• john_brown [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      20 days ago

      Beyond the point blobjim already addressed, why did they have an unloaded gun at all? Guns are not props. If you want to open carry for defense, be prepared for defense. If you just want to carry a prop around to look cool, don’t.

      • Blakey [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        20 days ago

        Guy was apparently assembling it on site, too, which I dunno. I’m not American but that would immediately make me think he brought it in concealed for either a mass shooting or a targeted shooting. The kid who was there when Kirk’s neck just did that assembled his weapon on site iirc.

    • blobjim [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      20 days ago

      You don’t unannounced bring a rifle to a No Kings protest. Total inability to read the room on their part and you don’t bring guns to any kind of march unless you’re with the organizers and that’s what they want. If I was at a protest and some random kid was just walking around with a rifle I would not feel comfortable or “protected”. It isn’t his job to autonomously decide to “protect” a march. I guess I appreciate the spirit of it, but he’a gotta talk things over with other people first.

      • DasRav [any, any]@hexbear.net
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        20 days ago

        How do you know they weren’t asked to bring the gun?

        The article says he was ‘tasked with security’, whatever that means. I don’t know, so I wonder what more you know about this.

        • Blakey [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          20 days ago

          Pretty sure the shooter was “tasked with security”. The victim appears to have brought his own weapon unprompted, and was assembling it on site, which, yeah, looks very sus. I think they made the right call but I also think it’s not a good idea to roll up and start assembling your rifle in a protest environment, least of all one like this where it stands out.

          • tocopherol [any]@hexbear.net
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            20 days ago

            In Utah and other open carry states leftists have been marching at protests with guns for years, he was probably assembling it on site because it’s easier to transport that way. I agree this wasn’t a good protest for it but he had been armed at protests in the area previously, with other people armed also.

            • john_brown [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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              20 days ago

              Open carrying only makes sense in the context of there being other open carriers you’re organized with. Going solo with a gun just reads as mass shooter shit, and makes you an obvious target if a shooter shows up. In this case, because another open carrying “protector” might decide to smoke you because you’re just a rando with a rifle