Mike
Site Co-Founder
imported post
The Sheriff's point below is a gem:
La Crosse County Sheriff Steve Helgeson said the demonstration in his county "didn't have any problems," partly because of extensive media buildup before the event.
"Once (the community) realized it was legal, they accepted it," he said.
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http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_13519755?nclick_check=1
Hudson TEA Party to feature hot drinks -- and guns
TEA Party honors open-carry rights
By Alex Ebert
aebert@pioneerpress.com
Updated:10/08/2009 10:48:19 PM CDT
The planners of a party in Hudson, Wis., are looking forward to a well-mannered picnic filled with political speeches, hot beverages — and guns.
Response has been mixed to the Hudson Open Carry Taxed Enough Already (or TEA) Party scheduled for Oct. 17 in Lakefront Park. While organizers tout it as a picnic to celebrate their rights to demonstrate and carry arms, some in town worry about the image and perceived dangers of so many weapons in the city's downtown playground.
"Comments have ranged from dead set against it to a sentiment that it's a demonstration of political rights," Hudson Alderman Scot O'Malley said.
At least one store owner plans to put up a sign banning the guns inside her shop. Yet city organizers say the party is simply the latest in a string of such events across Wisconsin that have all been peaceful.
Since an April statement by the Wisconsin attorney general stressing that openly carrying a firearm is legal, events aimed at exercising the First and Second amendments have sprung up across Wisconsin. David Olson, organizer of the upcoming Hudson gathering, said it will be similar to one he recently held in Glenwood City: calm and political.
It's a potluck of sorts, where people can air their grievances on a number of issues, speak freely and revel in the right to openly carry guns, Olson said.
"We decided to put the open-carry picnic along with the TEA Party to dispel some of the hysteria of the drive-by media covering people coming to meetings with firearms," he said.
The blending of conservative causes works well for Hudson because of the large number of hunters and guns owners in the area, said Jesse Garza, chairman of the St. Croix County Republican Party.
"They're really frustrated and nervous with the spending going on in Washington," he said. "And they want to make sure their rights to own firearms are not infringed upon, and since Wisconsin doesn't have any laws against open carry, this is their right to do that."
Whatever the politics, Hudson shop owner Barbara Dahl said she is completely against the demonstration. Her home furniture store is about two blocks from where the speeches will take place.
"I'll have to put up a sign that says, 'I ban guns,' " she said. "I really don't like the idea of someone walking by being crabby and having a gun. That's not about protection, it's about fear."
Hudson Police Chief Marty Jensen said the city does not plan to increase police patrols for the event.
"I've got e-mails from (other) chiefs saying it was a good, quiet event," Jensen said. "That's what we're hoping for here."
La Crosse County Sheriff Steve Helgeson said the demonstration in his county "didn't have any problems," partly because of extensive media buildup before the event.
"Once (the community) realized it was legal, they accepted it," he said.
The recent string of open-carry parties started after a controversial disorderly conduct charge against a Milwaukee resident was dismissed in February. Police had given the resident a ticket for having a holstered gun on while doing yard work.
After the dismissal, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued an advisory to the state's district attorneys noting that openly carrying a firearm is legal in Wisconsin.
Although Dahl knows the right to bear arms is in the Constitution, she still feels uncomfortable with the public display of firearms. But she said that in the end, her opinion is worth as much as anyone else's.
"I don't live in the Old West," she said. "But I'm one in billions, and that's how much (my voice) counts."
The Sheriff's point below is a gem:
La Crosse County Sheriff Steve Helgeson said the demonstration in his county "didn't have any problems," partly because of extensive media buildup before the event.
"Once (the community) realized it was legal, they accepted it," he said.
--
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_13519755?nclick_check=1
Hudson TEA Party to feature hot drinks -- and guns
TEA Party honors open-carry rights
By Alex Ebert
aebert@pioneerpress.com
Updated:10/08/2009 10:48:19 PM CDT
The planners of a party in Hudson, Wis., are looking forward to a well-mannered picnic filled with political speeches, hot beverages — and guns.
Response has been mixed to the Hudson Open Carry Taxed Enough Already (or TEA) Party scheduled for Oct. 17 in Lakefront Park. While organizers tout it as a picnic to celebrate their rights to demonstrate and carry arms, some in town worry about the image and perceived dangers of so many weapons in the city's downtown playground.
"Comments have ranged from dead set against it to a sentiment that it's a demonstration of political rights," Hudson Alderman Scot O'Malley said.
At least one store owner plans to put up a sign banning the guns inside her shop. Yet city organizers say the party is simply the latest in a string of such events across Wisconsin that have all been peaceful.
Since an April statement by the Wisconsin attorney general stressing that openly carrying a firearm is legal, events aimed at exercising the First and Second amendments have sprung up across Wisconsin. David Olson, organizer of the upcoming Hudson gathering, said it will be similar to one he recently held in Glenwood City: calm and political.
It's a potluck of sorts, where people can air their grievances on a number of issues, speak freely and revel in the right to openly carry guns, Olson said.
"We decided to put the open-carry picnic along with the TEA Party to dispel some of the hysteria of the drive-by media covering people coming to meetings with firearms," he said.
The blending of conservative causes works well for Hudson because of the large number of hunters and guns owners in the area, said Jesse Garza, chairman of the St. Croix County Republican Party.
"They're really frustrated and nervous with the spending going on in Washington," he said. "And they want to make sure their rights to own firearms are not infringed upon, and since Wisconsin doesn't have any laws against open carry, this is their right to do that."
Whatever the politics, Hudson shop owner Barbara Dahl said she is completely against the demonstration. Her home furniture store is about two blocks from where the speeches will take place.
"I'll have to put up a sign that says, 'I ban guns,' " she said. "I really don't like the idea of someone walking by being crabby and having a gun. That's not about protection, it's about fear."
Hudson Police Chief Marty Jensen said the city does not plan to increase police patrols for the event.
"I've got e-mails from (other) chiefs saying it was a good, quiet event," Jensen said. "That's what we're hoping for here."
La Crosse County Sheriff Steve Helgeson said the demonstration in his county "didn't have any problems," partly because of extensive media buildup before the event.
"Once (the community) realized it was legal, they accepted it," he said.
The recent string of open-carry parties started after a controversial disorderly conduct charge against a Milwaukee resident was dismissed in February. Police had given the resident a ticket for having a holstered gun on while doing yard work.
After the dismissal, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued an advisory to the state's district attorneys noting that openly carrying a firearm is legal in Wisconsin.
Although Dahl knows the right to bear arms is in the Constitution, she still feels uncomfortable with the public display of firearms. But she said that in the end, her opinion is worth as much as anyone else's.
"I don't live in the Old West," she said. "But I'm one in billions, and that's how much (my voice) counts."
