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http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/07/06/article/it_s_a_right_some_want_to_protect
SNIP
It's a right some want to protect
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 (Updated 7:53 am)
By Dioni L. Wise
Staff Writer
It’s nothing for 21-year-old Jay Jay Eldridge to strap his .40-caliber handgun to his right hip, whether it’s to go eat a barbecue plate at Stamey’s or just stroll down the street.
But a resident in his High Point neighborhood didn’t know that and recently called the police on him.
“You know, when the cops get a call that there’s a guy walking around with a gun, a few of them show up,” Eldridge said. “So, three cops show up. They just asked me questions — 'Are you 21?’ and stuff like that.
“The first thing the cop said to me was, 'I know you’re not doing anything wrong. I got a call, so I got to check you out.’ ”
Eldridge isn’t out to hurt anyone. He openly carries a gun for his own protection and because, well, it’s lawful.
In North Carolina, state law does not prohibit carrying firearms in the open.
Dozens of “open carriers” like Eldridge are expected next month at the Restore the Constitution Rally at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park to make people more aware of such gun laws.
Minding the adage of “use it or lose it,” participants at the Aug. 14 event will display their loaded pistols and unloaded rifles to exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
'Read the Constitution’
Randy Dye, a co-organizer of the rally and author of the conservative blog “Randy’s Right,” said he has owned guns nearly all his 58 years. He has openly carried for three years.
Dye, a retired trauma nurse living in Pittsboro, advocates for gun rights and opposes what he considers the federal government’s encroachment of state and individual rights, citing the bank bailout and health care reform as recent examples. The rally’s purpose is to remind people of their right to have guns for self-defense and “to preserve individual freedom.”
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision last week that the right to bear arms cannot be violated by state and local governments was “excellent,” Dye said.
“My whole thought is it shows how easily we can lose our constitutional rights,” he said. “That should have never made it to the Supreme Court. The Second Amendment said that right shall never be infringed on.”
When people see Dye with his gun and ask if he’s a police officer, he tells them that he is an armed civilian and that he carries a gun for his protection. He also suggests they read the Constitution.
“The Constitution was specifically written to protect us from the government,” he said. “They foresaw a lot of what’s going on today.”
“Again, the whole idea is to make them more aware and to make this a more open-carry friendly country.”
Open-carry friendly
Dye considers North Carolina one of the more “friendly” states for open-carry advocates. No permits or licenses are required for people in North Carolina to carry a holstered handgun in plain sight.
Most state firearm laws refer to carrying concealed guns. The highly regulated process of getting a concealed-carry permit can take up to 90 days. It requires applicants to meet with their sheriff’s office, undergo a background check, complete a safety training course and pay a $90 fee.
State law does not permit anyone to carry a weapon — concealed or in the open — in bars or restaurants that serve alcohol.
It doesn’t allow guns, rifles or pistols in schools, law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities or state and federal offices, or at parades, funerals or demonstrations.
Maj. Tom Sheppard of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said deputies don’t bother open carriers unless they are “going armed to the terror of the people.”
. . .
SNIP
It's a right some want to protect
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 (Updated 7:53 am)
By Dioni L. Wise
Staff Writer
It’s nothing for 21-year-old Jay Jay Eldridge to strap his .40-caliber handgun to his right hip, whether it’s to go eat a barbecue plate at Stamey’s or just stroll down the street.
But a resident in his High Point neighborhood didn’t know that and recently called the police on him.
“You know, when the cops get a call that there’s a guy walking around with a gun, a few of them show up,” Eldridge said. “So, three cops show up. They just asked me questions — 'Are you 21?’ and stuff like that.
“The first thing the cop said to me was, 'I know you’re not doing anything wrong. I got a call, so I got to check you out.’ ”
Eldridge isn’t out to hurt anyone. He openly carries a gun for his own protection and because, well, it’s lawful.
In North Carolina, state law does not prohibit carrying firearms in the open.
Dozens of “open carriers” like Eldridge are expected next month at the Restore the Constitution Rally at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park to make people more aware of such gun laws.
Minding the adage of “use it or lose it,” participants at the Aug. 14 event will display their loaded pistols and unloaded rifles to exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
'Read the Constitution’
Randy Dye, a co-organizer of the rally and author of the conservative blog “Randy’s Right,” said he has owned guns nearly all his 58 years. He has openly carried for three years.
Dye, a retired trauma nurse living in Pittsboro, advocates for gun rights and opposes what he considers the federal government’s encroachment of state and individual rights, citing the bank bailout and health care reform as recent examples. The rally’s purpose is to remind people of their right to have guns for self-defense and “to preserve individual freedom.”
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision last week that the right to bear arms cannot be violated by state and local governments was “excellent,” Dye said.
“My whole thought is it shows how easily we can lose our constitutional rights,” he said. “That should have never made it to the Supreme Court. The Second Amendment said that right shall never be infringed on.”
When people see Dye with his gun and ask if he’s a police officer, he tells them that he is an armed civilian and that he carries a gun for his protection. He also suggests they read the Constitution.
“The Constitution was specifically written to protect us from the government,” he said. “They foresaw a lot of what’s going on today.”
“Again, the whole idea is to make them more aware and to make this a more open-carry friendly country.”
Open-carry friendly
Dye considers North Carolina one of the more “friendly” states for open-carry advocates. No permits or licenses are required for people in North Carolina to carry a holstered handgun in plain sight.
Most state firearm laws refer to carrying concealed guns. The highly regulated process of getting a concealed-carry permit can take up to 90 days. It requires applicants to meet with their sheriff’s office, undergo a background check, complete a safety training course and pay a $90 fee.
State law does not permit anyone to carry a weapon — concealed or in the open — in bars or restaurants that serve alcohol.
It doesn’t allow guns, rifles or pistols in schools, law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities or state and federal offices, or at parades, funerals or demonstrations.
Maj. Tom Sheppard of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said deputies don’t bother open carriers unless they are “going armed to the terror of the people.”
. . .
