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The Free Press - Maine college student plans open carry picnic

Mike

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http://media.http://www.usmfreepress.org/media/storage/paper311/news/2010/04/19/News/Student.Plans.Picnic.With.Guns-3908662.shtml]http://www.usmfreepress.org/media/storage/paper311/news/2010/04/19/News/Student.Plans.Picnic.With.Guns-3908662.shtml]http://media.http://www.usmfreepress.org/media/storage/paper311/news/2010/04/19/News/Student.Plans.Picnic.With.Guns-3908662.shtml[/url]

SNIP

Student Plans Picnic With Guns

Paul Koenig
Issue date: 4/19/10 Section: News


Freshman Shane Belanger, a pre-med biology major, is organizing a picnic in Portland's picturesque Back Cove at the end of April. "It's a nice little barbecue between friends - friends with a common interest," said Belanger.

Their common interest: gun owners who want to exercise their right to carry a holstered weapon in public.

He said the idea started as a post he wrote on opencarry.org, an internet community for people who support openly carrying holstered handguns in daily life.

The event will be held Sunday, April 25, at 2 p.m. in the Preble Street parking lot, across from Hannaford.

. . .

"It's definitely supposed to be a family oriented event. You don't have to carry [a gun] to come," said Belanger, who won't be carrying a firearm because it's back home in Caribou.

. . .

On opencarry.org, Belanger suggested people only bring holstered handguns to ensure their first event runs smoothly. "I want it to be real low key. It is their right to have a shotgun or a rifle slung over their back, [but] I don't think it's the right time in this movement to do that," he said.
"I would love to organize more stuff like this," he added. He said he may organize an open carry trash pickup to help the community, while also exercising their right to carry a gun.

Belanger said he is a supporter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national organization which believes holders of state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same rights on college campuses. According their website, Maine is one of 24 states which prohibits concealed carry on college campuses by people with a valid concealed handgun license or permit.

"[The shooting at Virginia Tech] wouldn't have happened if we had concealed carry on campus or open carry on campus," said Belanger.

Since his post on the opencarry.org, the event has garnered media attention. He said he has been contacted by WGME and NECN and the Portland Press Herald already interviewed him.

"I really didn't think there'd be this much media attention," said Belanger, 19. He said his age could partly be the reason for the media coverage.

"NECN called me the face of open carry for Maine," he said, smiling.
 

Grapeshot

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Shane and the rest of this informal group of friends really seem to have their act together. They're very level headed and low key.

Normalizing the right to openly carry properly holstered handguns in daily American life - nothing less, nothing more.

The look to me to be the ones that will move Maine forward.

Yata hey
 

Grapeshot

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