Federal Court Says Police Can Stop Open Carriers

Via Jennifer Cruz

The U.S. District Court of Michigan ruled earlier this month that law enforcement officers have the authority to stop an individual if the person is open carrying a firearm – to do so is not a violation of any constitutional rights.

The upsetting issue I see here is not that the man was stopped but how he was stopped. Open carry is legal in the majority of our United States and therefor it would be beneficial for our law enforcement officers to get more education on the topic. This man was immediately treated like a criminal with mental illness issues and that is where this stop goes all wrong.

That being said we as gun owners do need to be responsible not only with our firearms themselves but also with the way we conduct ourselves in public. This article refers to the confrontational nature of some recent demonstrations and we need to remember that while we may be exercising our rights the police are doing their job keeping people safe. With all of the attacks which happen in our country police officers are correct to be cautious and there is no reason we need to make that job any more difficult.

We also need to remember that police officers are not lawmakers so our demonstrations need to be organized and logical and directed at the people who do have the power to enact change. Our biggest enemies of our liberty are creating policy in Washington behind armed guards not policing our streets in an effort to keep us safe.