Alphecca

Pro 2A Gays Will March in Utah

David Nelson of the Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah writes in:

DESPITE BAN, GAYS WITH GUNS TO ATTEND PRIDE EVENTS

SALT LAKE CITY -- With an expected attendance of almost 30,000 people,
the state's annual gay- and lesbian-pride events planned for June 8
through 12 will continue to be one of the largest outdoor events
organized in the capitol city. But, the leader of a group whose members
own and use legally concealed firearms, and attend the events said that
an events rule which would ban "weapons of any kind" is too broad,
unenforceable and shouldn't discourage the members from attending the
events with their firearms if they choose to do so.

Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah founder and owner David Nelson said
that the rule, which was published in May is a departure from the 2003
and 2004 pride events when their organizers agreed that people with
legally concealed firearms could not be denied admission to the events
and adopted no such rules. Nelson said that his requests to the
organizers to revise the new rule remain unanswered.

"Previous organizers understood that people with Utah Concealed Firearm
Permits have met every federal and state legal requirement to choose
carrying legally concealed firearms, and welcomed us," Nelson said.
"There were no complaints at the 2003 and 2004 events. The previous
organizers didn't confuse the difference of legal and illegal
firearms."

There's more but I can't find a link on his website. I'll put the whole thing in the extended entry. Anyway, he feels that searching people would quickly become an effort in futility. Like him, I find it strange that some groups that are fighting for their rights would deny others theirs.

Here's his whole letter:

DESPITE BAN, GAYS WITH GUNS TO ATTEND PRIDE EVENTS

SALT LAKE CITY -- With an expected attendance of almost 30,000 people,
the state's annual gay- and lesbian-pride events planned for June 8
through 12 will continue to be one of the largest outdoor events
organized in the capitol city. But, the leader of a group whose members
own and use legally concealed firearms, and attend the events said that
an events rule which would ban "weapons of any kind" is too broad,
unenforceable and shouldn't discourage the members from attending the
events with their firearms if they choose to do so.

Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah founder and owner David Nelson said
that the rule, which was published in May is a departure from the 2003
and 2004 pride events when their organizers agreed that people with
legally concealed firearms could not be denied admission to the events
and adopted no such rules. Nelson said that his requests to the
organizers to revise the new rule remain unanswered.

"Previous organizers understood that people with Utah Concealed Firearm
Permits have met every federal and state legal requirement to choose
carrying legally concealed firearms, and welcomed us," Nelson said.
"There were no complaints at the 2003 and 2004 events. The previous
organizers didn't confuse the difference of legal and illegal
firearms."

"New organizers announced their plan to search all attendees and their
personal property, but I suspect their 30,000 searches would quickly
become impractical and a public-relations disaster," Nelson said. "The
organizers might discover some people with weapons -- weapons which
would be legal except when they're improperly concealed -- but the
organizers may do little more than invite law-enforcement officers to
intervene legally, which they're not obligated to do. The organizers
may not, however, deny admission to those people with legally concealed
firearms or confiscate the firearms."

Previous organizers invited Nelson in 2003 to debate transgender
University of Utah Professor Barbara Nash, who also serves as the
founder of Gun Violence Prevention Campaign-Center of Utah, about the
idea of firearms for self defense.

"Both Professor Nash and I have been issued state concealed-firearm
permits," Nelson said. "While I don't know if she carried her legally
concealed firearm when we debated, I suspect she'd agree with me that
no one who has met every legal requirement including daily FBI
criminal-history investigations should be arbitrarily denied the legal,
responsible and safe exercise of our human right to defend ourselves if
we choose and need to do so."

Seven of the eight announced pride events are planned for the Salt Lake
City Public Library, Library and Washington squares, and the
surrounding city streets and sidewalks -- all government properties.
Because only one of the events is planned for church property, Nelson
described most of the events as public accommodations on public
properties where legally concealed firearms are permitted.

"State laws are very clear about who, what, when, where, why and how
legally concealed firearms may be prohibited," Nelson said. "In almost
every instance, the organizers fail the legal requirements that would
let them ban our firearms. Law-enforcement officers are, in fact,
prohibited from enforcing those local laws and rules that are
inconsistent with state firearms laws. If our hard-earned state permits
don't protect our Second Amendment rights in the public square -- this
city public square, they do no good."

A similar weapons ban was attempted in 2003 by pride-events organizers
in Columbus, Ohio. Law-enforcement officers who responded to the call
for assistance from events organizers instead protected the right of 12
attendees with legally carried firearms and warned the organizers that
their attempts to confiscate the firearms could be considered a federal
felony theft of firearms.

"As we did in 2003 and 2004, our members wish simply to attend and enjoy
one of the state's big events without complaint and without leaving one
of our constitutional rights at the festival gates," Nelson said. "It's
ironic that the celebration of a day which is set aside to renew the
call for equal rights is threatened with one of them being denied.
Banning legally concealed firearms isn't yet the easiest thing to do,
but I wonder if those who wish to do so would also assume the legal and
financial guarantee to protect everyone."

SSSU is a group of gender- and sexual-minority firearms advocates and
owners in the state, and supporters of the Pink Pistols idea that was
described nationally in 2000 by writer Jonathan Rauch for the legal,
responsible and safe use of firearms for their self defense and
shooting-sport competition and recreation, including those who are gay
and lesbian, and that of their families and friends. With hundreds of
members, they're also the largest such group worldwide.

Posted by Jeff Soyer at May 22, 2005 08:11 AM