Bay Area Open Carry, a loosely-organized band of gun owners who advocate the open display of unloaded handguns, will bring their cause to a downtown Walnut Creek restaurant.
"We discussed making this a monthly meet," a message says on their forum. "We loosely decided to make it the first Saturday of the month and try to rotate around the bay area to cover most of it over time. We planned for Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County for this meet. California Pizza Kitchen was our choice and it looks to be well located. It is freeway close and GFSZ far."
Members of the group made headlines with one of their "demonstrations" at a downtown Livermore coffee shop Saturday. They want to advocate the fact that in most of California, it is legal to carry a weapon as long as it is out in the open and unloaded. The gun carrier also has to be at least 1,000 feet from a school.
But according to this ABC7 news segment, one member, Walter Stanley, who carries an unloaded pistol on his right hip and two full ammunition clips on his left, raised alarm in downtown Livermore Tuesday, when someone called in a report to police of a man with a gun seen in downtown. Officers pulled up, just as Stanley was talking to an ABC7 news reporter, ordered him up against a wall and to raise his hands.
"I think that was a bit much," Stanley would later tell ABC7. "I don't think putting me up against the wall and putting my hands on top of my head is really the type of enforcement we're looking for here in the city of Livermore."
27 comments:
What a bunch of small penis freaking idiots. Of course the Police have to respond to someone walking down the street with a gun, its nice these idiots are wasting the officers valuable time.
Can California Pizza Kitchen refuse them service?
"Walter Stanley" seemed surprised and annoyed by the police response. What did he think would happen? He complained about crime, yet he is wasting police resources with this foolishness. Shame on him and his group. Just because you "can" doesn't mean you "should".
Actually police in California do not "have to respond" to a report of a man with a gun behaving legally. In fact, in unincorporated areas of California, folks can open carry loaded handguns in public areas (except where the county has banned shooting) and thepolice cannot detain such folks to check for load conditions as they can, unfortunately, in incorporated areas, see People v. Knight. learn more at OpenCarry.org - did you know that only 7 states ban open carry and most states require no license to open carry LOADED handguns?
Hmmm. So the "open carry" freaks think it is OK to walk around with an unloaded gun on their hip. And please remind me why we just KNOW that it is unloaded? Don't like it. Some bunch of jerks will be running around with their loaded guns, telling us it is OK because they are unloaded.
This people are off - the wall. So you carry around an unloaded gun, what is a crook wants to rob you of that weapon? Do they hand it over, or load a cartridge to shot the robber? They are as bad as the criminals.
Thanks for the heads up to stay far away from CPK that night. Not sure that is the kind of image CPK is looking for- my impression of it has always been as a family place that is great for the kids. Can't see a lot of families taking their kids in there with all the guns.
10:58, I think you can see if a clip is in a semi-automatic pretty easily, not sure on a revolver though. These guys are just trying to get a rise out of everyone, don't take the bait. I actually think I'll go shopping down there around that time, hopefully it will scare everyone off and there will be parking.
Why don't they go to the (damn) library?
Obviously there are people less interested in our First Amendment freedoms here and now then the times of our founding fathers. Not surprizing.. given our demographics but I for one support this as I doubt very heavily that any would be robber would coming to take my gun. Personally I prefer the idea of concealed weapons keeping the element of surprize, but concealed carry is illegal..
JojoPotato,
I hope that this group cannot carry weapons in the library, especially in front of the children.
And what about schools?
What do others think?
Anon 12:27 I don't see what openly carrying a handgun would have to do with the First Ammendment?
I'm pretty sure you can't carry a gun within a thousand yards of a school or a chuck e cheese, but I like the idea.
2:44 has a good point, are we talking about the right to assemble and speak or the right to bear arms. Those darn constitutional amendments.
Anon 2:24...my bad. Second Amendment rights. Thanks for making me look it up only to affirm my cladistine insult regarding our demographics.
it's funny, because in some countries (Finland) a person cannot walk around with a knife. here in the states it is totally common and normal.
i have my little fold up knife with me all the time. you can see it sticking out of my pocket. no one minds.
yet over there, people might react the same way a lot of folks do to guns out here.
it's just a tool.
there is no reason why government should have a monopoly on guns.
How far is Las Lomas high school from CPK? It might be within the 1000 feet limit that would impact the open carry crowd.
What an idiotic, reactionary, inflammatory display of stupidity, to walk around a populated area with a gun on one hip and the ammo on the other.
Why don't they go volunteer at a Wild West show?
I don't care if someone owns a gun and keeps it at home, but why would they have to carry one around in public? Do they need to do do that to feel safe? Frankly, it would make me feel LESS safe to see a crowd of people standing around with guns.
I hope businesses are able to keep out the gun nuts.
As the 8:29 poster says, this stupid display is going to waste police resources, since they'll be compelled to keep an eye on these guys. What a moronic display. Where are these people coming from? And why all of a sudden, under the Obama administration? Have they all come under the spell of some right-wing conspiracy theory that Obama is going to take away their precious guns?
The right-wingers in this country are seriously screwed up.
Don't call me a right winger. I'll be carrying my gun to CPK, order a veggie pizza. After lunch, I'm heading over to a pro-choice rally with my gun!
Anon 7:33 I could not agree more with your statement and anon 7:50 I believe the place across from CPK is called Fresh Choice and not Pro Choice and I didn't know that they had gun rallies ;-)
Why Walnut Creek? Soccer Mom...can you get an interview with one of their "leaders"? Will Mayor Rainey bring up this situation in her "state of the city" message?
I hope we're not becoming the jumping off point for wacky causes.
Why are these people any different than the sign-toting, anti-war folks who came to town by BART and marched to Civic Park to make their point?
They snarled traffic badly requiring many police officers to be on the scene to try to keep the peace and traffic moving. They also left a lot of trash upon their departure.
Did their win any new friends to their cause? Doubtful.
Let the Open Carry people do their thing, but don't give them any recognition.
If we don't acknowledge them publicly before and after, they will go away. The press is just fanning the flames on what they call "news" and we, yet again, are falling for it.
Firstly, there is no point in carrying an unloaded gun other than posturing. Secondly, the guy who decided to carry one in downtown Livermore should have been stopped by the police. His indignation is ridiculous. This guy seem to think that the police should not act on calls about gun toting people in highly populated areas? It is their DUTY to make sure that people such as him are not a danger to anyone else. Thanks for wasting our tax dollars, Dude.
This is for Mike of Open Carry. A person walking in a highly populated downtown area, carrying a gun, and "acting legally" can in a split second open fire and kill many people. This scenario has played out countless times in our society and destroyed countless lives. You and your cohorts indignation that a person carrying a gun would alarm other people and the police shows pure ignorance and disregard for the rights of others. The police are here to protect the rights of all citizens to have peaceful enjoyment of their community...not just gun activists.
Does anyone else think it is strange and rather amusing that there is hysteria amongst the troops on this blog about someone having an unloaded gun in plain sight, in public but on the other hand think that it is just fine to legalize a mind altering drug in a quick tax grab?
CPK is more than 1000 feet from Las Lomas according to Google maps.
I am so sick of all the attention whores around today. It's pathetic.
If we don't acknowledge them by giving them free publicity and attention, they will eventually go away.....all of them!
My suggestions is to get these open carry penis pumps. They're far more likely to get real d*cks with a penis pump than a gun. And, we all know that's what it's all about.
There is nothing wrong with people open carrying their guns. In most other states it's legal, it happens quite a bit, and nobody freaks out. Chill out people... it's no big deal.
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