Secret Service: Sorry, Gun Activists, We Won’t Let You Open Carry at the GOP Convention
Federal Agents Will Take Care of Everyone if ISIS Shows Up
Open carry gun advocates created a petition last week demanding they be allowed to bring their guns inside the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, which is hosting the Republican National Convention in July. The petition has garnered nearly 45,000 signatures in just four days. Although they were under no obligation to do so, the Secret Service today weighed in – citing U.S. law to do so.
“Title 18 United States Code Sections 3056 and 1752, provides the Secret Service authority to preclude firearms from entering sites visited by our protectees, including those located in open-carry states,” the federal law enforcement agency told ABC 5, as The Hill reports. “Only authorized law enforcement personnel working in conjunction with the Secret Service for a particular event may carry a firearm inside of the protected site.”
“The Secret Service works closely with our local law enforcement partners in each state to ensure a safe environment for our protectees and the public. Individuals determined to be carrying firearms will not be allowed past a predetermined outer perimeter checkpoint, regardless of whether they possess a ticket to the event.”
The petition, launched by an anonymous blogger named Hyperationalist, demanded the Quicken Loans Arena “RECOGNIZE OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO OPEN CARRY FIREARMS AT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION,” calling the ban “a direct affront to the Second Amendment and puts all attendees at risk.”
EARLIER:Â Republicans Demand To Open Carry Firearms At Cleveland Convention
“As the National Rifle Association has made clear, ‘gun-free zones’ such as the Quicken Loans Arena are ‘the worst and most dangerous of all lies.’ The NRA, our leading defender of gun rights, has also correctly pointed out that “gun free zones… tell every insane killer in America… (the) safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk.” (March 4, 2016 and Dec. 21, 2012)”
“Cleveland, Ohio is consistently ranked as one of the top ten most dangerous cities in America. By forcing attendees to leave their firearms at home, the RNC and Quicken Loans Arena are putting tens of thousands of people at risk both inside and outside of the convention site.”
This doesn’t even begin to factor in the possibility of an ISIS terrorist attack on the arena during the convention. Without the right to protect themselves, those at the Quicken Loans Arena will be sitting ducks, utterly helpless against evil-doers, criminals or others who wish to threaten the American way of life.
“All three remaining Republican candidates have spoken out on the issue and are unified in their opposition to Barack HUSSEIN Obama’s ‘gun-free zones.'”
[All caps and bolding original]
50,000 people are expected to attend. Cleveland.com reports the “only media event larger is the Olympics.”
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Image: 2012 GOP Convention, by Think Out Loud via Flickr and a CC license
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