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The 1st Great Maine OC Picnic 4/25/10
- Thread starter Grapeshot
- Start date
RTOFLUXY
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SmithD
Regular Member
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rmontm wrote:
rmontm wrote:
Hey Rick, great photos on your FB
SmithD
Regular Member
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Great Job!! looks like an awsome time was had by all!! Glad to see so many folks turn out to support our rights...thanks to all who did!! Bravo Shane!! I'm sure we will see more of this in the future.
Great Job!! looks like an awsome time was had by all!! Glad to see so many folks turn out to support our rights...thanks to all who did!! Bravo Shane!! I'm sure we will see more of this in the future.
shanebelanger
Accomplished Advocate
imported post
http://www.pressherald.com/news/pro-gun-rally-shines-light-on-liberal-laws_2010-04-25.html
Nice comments by the Secretary of State!
Pro-gun rally shines light on liberal laws By Ann S. Kim akim@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
PORTLAND — Gun owners plan to meet in Back Cove today with firearms in holsters.
Participants in the open-carry event will be asserting their constitutional right to bear arms in a state with some of the most permissive firearms laws in the nation.
Today's open-carry event was organized by Shane Belanger, a University of Southern Maine freshman who grew up in Caribou.
"I'd like to see a bunch of people coming out, having a good time, eating some food, swapping some stories," said Belanger.
Belanger said he's got 41 people confirmed as guests to attend the barbecue, along with another 25 or so possible attendees, and three dogs. Belanger said his father may come down from The County to participate.
"He's pretty excited – he's very pro-Second Amendment," said Belanger, adding that he personally didn't plan to bring a gun to the event.
Belanger said he thought public response to the event has been positive. Some are wondering what's going to happen, he said.
"They're going to see how it goes," he said. "It's just friends with a common interest, coming together to have a barbecue – nothing more. We're not going to be in anyone's face, we're just there to have a good time."
Carrying a firearm in Maine requires no permit unless the weapon is concealed. There are no state background checks, waiting periods, licenses or safety instruction requirements for unconcealed firearms. Municipalities are prohibited from adopting more restrictive rules.
"We are on the extreme end, but there are a bunch (of other states) with us," said Cathie Whittenburg, director of the Westbrook-based New England Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gives Maine laws a score of 11 of a possible 100. The organization takes into account several dozen criteria, ranging from gun-dealer regulations to bans on assault weapons to limits on bulk purchases. way of comparison, the highest state score of 80 went to California and the low of zero went to Utah.
"There are, certainly in rural areas, legitimate reasons people have guns," said Molly Warren, a spokeswoman for the Brady Campaign. "Urban, they have more crime implications. Mayors of cities are some of our strongest advocates because they see more problems."
Maine is among the majority of states that allow firearms to be carried openly. Thirty-five states allow it, three prohibit it and 12 require permits, Warren said.
Maine has no statute that spells out the right to openly carry a firearm – there is merely no prohibition.
Matt Dunlap, Maine secretary of state and a board member of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, said he remembers a time when it wasn't unusual for a hunter to carry a rifle in downtown Bangor when shopping for a new sight.
"It's almost unthinkable that in this day and age you would do that," he said. "People are very alarmed by an open display of firearms."
Dunlap said that shouldn't be the case, and he supports today's open-carry event, though he doesn't plan to take part.
Although Maine's fairly liberal gun laws may seem settled, "it's always under scrutiny," he said, making it important for gun owners to assert their rights – particularly in the state's largest city.
That Portlanders might get upset over a group of gun owners openly carrying firearms, he said, "is a vagary of urbanism that we find amusing in rural Maine."
"It's less an issue here than it is in other states," Dunlap noted, pointing out Massachusetts as an example of a state with strong gun control laws. Gun control advocates contend that Massachusetts residents can circumvent tough gun laws at home by buying firearms in Maine and other states where the regulations are more lenient.
Dunlap said he hopes the event in Portland spurs debate over gun laws, saying it's an issue that's best discussed before any action is taken. He said open carry is a right that many gun owners are rediscovering, and today's open-carry event mirrors similar events held around the country.
Maine law deals only with the concealment and transport of firearms. The law prohibits the threatening display of a firearm but does not spell out how an unconcealed weapon should be carried.
When in a vehicle, owners without a concealed weapon permit should put their weapons out of reach – in the trunk, for example – with the ammunition kept separate from the firearm, said Maine State Police Chief Col. Patrick Fleming. Owners with concealed weapon permits are allowed to keep their firearms loaded and with them, he said.
Applicants for concealed weapon permits must answer a questionnaire about their background, show they have knowledge of handgun safety and be of good moral character. For the last category, police or town authorities can consider criminal records and domestic abuse.
Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion says he thinks Maine's gun laws are more than adequate. He said law enforcement agencies are able to work well with the laws and that it makes sense for the state, rather than the municipalities, to regulate guns.
"If you have fragmented gun laws across communities, it would be confusing," he said.
Today's event has prompted a counterdemonstration by gun control activists who hope the Legislature will consider greater municipal regulation of firearms.
That would be a reversal. In 1989, the Legislature passed a law that stripped communities of local gun control authority. That happened after then-Portland Police Chief Michael Chitwood tried to use a 19th-century ordinance to ban carrying weapons in public between sunset and sunrise.
A 1980 state supreme court ruling against Freeport's attempt to be more restrictive than the state on concealed weapon permits also helped form the current landscape, according to David Lourie, a former city attorney for Portland.
"I think, in general, municipalities were chastened by what happened in the 1980s and generally backed off," he said.
In 1994, Portland drew national attention in the gun debate. Police confiscated a loaded 9 mm Glock semi-automatic handgun from a Windham man who was carrying it in a holster at the Deering Oaks Family Festival. Chitwood, who characterized the display by Bruce Mayberry as threatening, kept the gun for three weeks before returning it.
Dion said he was curious about the message open-carry participants are sending.
"Right now, they have a surprise factor on their part," he said. "But when the dust settles, let's see if it moves the conversation forward."
http://www.pressherald.com/news/pro-gun-rally-shines-light-on-liberal-laws_2010-04-25.html
Nice comments by the Secretary of State!
Pro-gun rally shines light on liberal laws By Ann S. Kim akim@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
PORTLAND — Gun owners plan to meet in Back Cove today with firearms in holsters.
Participants in the open-carry event will be asserting their constitutional right to bear arms in a state with some of the most permissive firearms laws in the nation.
Today's open-carry event was organized by Shane Belanger, a University of Southern Maine freshman who grew up in Caribou.
"I'd like to see a bunch of people coming out, having a good time, eating some food, swapping some stories," said Belanger.
Belanger said he's got 41 people confirmed as guests to attend the barbecue, along with another 25 or so possible attendees, and three dogs. Belanger said his father may come down from The County to participate.
"He's pretty excited – he's very pro-Second Amendment," said Belanger, adding that he personally didn't plan to bring a gun to the event.
Belanger said he thought public response to the event has been positive. Some are wondering what's going to happen, he said.
"They're going to see how it goes," he said. "It's just friends with a common interest, coming together to have a barbecue – nothing more. We're not going to be in anyone's face, we're just there to have a good time."
Carrying a firearm in Maine requires no permit unless the weapon is concealed. There are no state background checks, waiting periods, licenses or safety instruction requirements for unconcealed firearms. Municipalities are prohibited from adopting more restrictive rules.
"We are on the extreme end, but there are a bunch (of other states) with us," said Cathie Whittenburg, director of the Westbrook-based New England Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gives Maine laws a score of 11 of a possible 100. The organization takes into account several dozen criteria, ranging from gun-dealer regulations to bans on assault weapons to limits on bulk purchases. way of comparison, the highest state score of 80 went to California and the low of zero went to Utah.
"There are, certainly in rural areas, legitimate reasons people have guns," said Molly Warren, a spokeswoman for the Brady Campaign. "Urban, they have more crime implications. Mayors of cities are some of our strongest advocates because they see more problems."
Maine is among the majority of states that allow firearms to be carried openly. Thirty-five states allow it, three prohibit it and 12 require permits, Warren said.
Maine has no statute that spells out the right to openly carry a firearm – there is merely no prohibition.
Matt Dunlap, Maine secretary of state and a board member of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, said he remembers a time when it wasn't unusual for a hunter to carry a rifle in downtown Bangor when shopping for a new sight.
"It's almost unthinkable that in this day and age you would do that," he said. "People are very alarmed by an open display of firearms."
Dunlap said that shouldn't be the case, and he supports today's open-carry event, though he doesn't plan to take part.
Although Maine's fairly liberal gun laws may seem settled, "it's always under scrutiny," he said, making it important for gun owners to assert their rights – particularly in the state's largest city.
That Portlanders might get upset over a group of gun owners openly carrying firearms, he said, "is a vagary of urbanism that we find amusing in rural Maine."
"It's less an issue here than it is in other states," Dunlap noted, pointing out Massachusetts as an example of a state with strong gun control laws. Gun control advocates contend that Massachusetts residents can circumvent tough gun laws at home by buying firearms in Maine and other states where the regulations are more lenient.
Dunlap said he hopes the event in Portland spurs debate over gun laws, saying it's an issue that's best discussed before any action is taken. He said open carry is a right that many gun owners are rediscovering, and today's open-carry event mirrors similar events held around the country.
Maine law deals only with the concealment and transport of firearms. The law prohibits the threatening display of a firearm but does not spell out how an unconcealed weapon should be carried.
When in a vehicle, owners without a concealed weapon permit should put their weapons out of reach – in the trunk, for example – with the ammunition kept separate from the firearm, said Maine State Police Chief Col. Patrick Fleming. Owners with concealed weapon permits are allowed to keep their firearms loaded and with them, he said.
Applicants for concealed weapon permits must answer a questionnaire about their background, show they have knowledge of handgun safety and be of good moral character. For the last category, police or town authorities can consider criminal records and domestic abuse.
Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion says he thinks Maine's gun laws are more than adequate. He said law enforcement agencies are able to work well with the laws and that it makes sense for the state, rather than the municipalities, to regulate guns.
"If you have fragmented gun laws across communities, it would be confusing," he said.
Today's event has prompted a counterdemonstration by gun control activists who hope the Legislature will consider greater municipal regulation of firearms.
That would be a reversal. In 1989, the Legislature passed a law that stripped communities of local gun control authority. That happened after then-Portland Police Chief Michael Chitwood tried to use a 19th-century ordinance to ban carrying weapons in public between sunset and sunrise.
A 1980 state supreme court ruling against Freeport's attempt to be more restrictive than the state on concealed weapon permits also helped form the current landscape, according to David Lourie, a former city attorney for Portland.
"I think, in general, municipalities were chastened by what happened in the 1980s and generally backed off," he said.
In 1994, Portland drew national attention in the gun debate. Police confiscated a loaded 9 mm Glock semi-automatic handgun from a Windham man who was carrying it in a holster at the Deering Oaks Family Festival. Chitwood, who characterized the display by Bruce Mayberry as threatening, kept the gun for three weeks before returning it.
Dion said he was curious about the message open-carry participants are sending.
"Right now, they have a surprise factor on their part," he said. "But when the dust settles, let's see if it moves the conversation forward."
rhenriksen
Regular Member
imported post
Shane, congratulations on a successful first event!
Shane, congratulations on a successful first event!
shanebelanger
Accomplished Advocate
imported post
This is random, but does anyone know of any jobs down this way? A few people offered me jobs at the BBQ but I was doing so many things at once I couldn't really talk to them. I'd like to stay down here and work so that I can continue helping push the OC movement. I have a place to stay all summer, but no job down here? So... ideas?
This is random, but does anyone know of any jobs down this way? A few people offered me jobs at the BBQ but I was doing so many things at once I couldn't really talk to them. I'd like to stay down here and work so that I can continue helping push the OC movement. I have a place to stay all summer, but no job down here? So... ideas?
shanebelanger
Accomplished Advocate
imported post
I thought that this was interesting: http://munjoyhillnews.com/2010/04/28/meet-your-neighbor-tom-frankliln-president-maine-citizens-against-handgun-violence-a-hunters-opinion/
as well as this:
http://munjoyhillnews.com/2010/04/25/open-carry-gun-rally-barbecue-goes-off-peacefully-at-back-cove/
Opinions? I particularly like the portion about the "gun show loophole", as well as the supposed "gun expert" apparently if you wear a glock hat you are an expert?
I thought that this was interesting: http://munjoyhillnews.com/2010/04/28/meet-your-neighbor-tom-frankliln-president-maine-citizens-against-handgun-violence-a-hunters-opinion/
as well as this:
http://munjoyhillnews.com/2010/04/25/open-carry-gun-rally-barbecue-goes-off-peacefully-at-back-cove/
Opinions? I particularly like the portion about the "gun show loophole", as well as the supposed "gun expert" apparently if you wear a glock hat you are an expert?
computerman
New member
imported post
Wish I could have been there. Will definitely try to make the next one (hoping there is a next one)
Wish I could have been there. Will definitely try to make the next one (hoping there is a next one)
Deuce1911
Regular Member
imported post
“We didn’t want to add to the publicity of the event,” said Franklin, explaining why the ten year old “MCAHV” did not participate in the rally. “We felt the event presented a negative image of Maine that was not accurate. It would make tourist think we are either weird or dangerous or both and it certainly doesn’t represent the views of traditional Maine hunters. Most hunters have no more interest in brandishing their guns in public than they do in walking naked in public.”
Franklin, who is an attorney moved here from Boston five years ago, went on to say: “Maine has a tradition of being quietly respectful of the views of others and hostile behavior like this is disrespectful of prevailing community values.”
HES A MASSHOLE!! last thing I need is this guy who moved here FIVE YEARS AGO! telling me A HOME GROWN MAINER how to act in my own state! Not to mention that one of maines prevailing values is INDEPENDENCE!! thats why maine is the way it is! we like being INDEPENDENT! you massholes come up here and think this your little great north woods play ground! this is MY state and MY home! WELCOME TO MAINE FRANKLIN! NOW GET THE F*$& OUT! this TICKS ME OFF! the nerve of some people!!
“We didn’t want to add to the publicity of the event,” said Franklin, explaining why the ten year old “MCAHV” did not participate in the rally. “We felt the event presented a negative image of Maine that was not accurate. It would make tourist think we are either weird or dangerous or both and it certainly doesn’t represent the views of traditional Maine hunters. Most hunters have no more interest in brandishing their guns in public than they do in walking naked in public.”
Franklin, who is an attorney moved here from Boston five years ago, went on to say: “Maine has a tradition of being quietly respectful of the views of others and hostile behavior like this is disrespectful of prevailing community values.”
HES A MASSHOLE!! last thing I need is this guy who moved here FIVE YEARS AGO! telling me A HOME GROWN MAINER how to act in my own state! Not to mention that one of maines prevailing values is INDEPENDENCE!! thats why maine is the way it is! we like being INDEPENDENT! you massholes come up here and think this your little great north woods play ground! this is MY state and MY home! WELCOME TO MAINE FRANKLIN! NOW GET THE F*$& OUT! this TICKS ME OFF! the nerve of some people!!
rhenriksen
Regular Member
imported post
Deuce1911 wrote:
Deuce1911 wrote:
LOL! I saw that, was wondering why no one had chimed in on that yet. Amen.
melinuxfool
Regular Member
imported post
Deuce1911 wrote:
It's about time for the people of Massachusetts to realize, we seceded from them 190 years ago. They no longer have any authority over Maine!
I guarantee, they drive me as crazy as they do you.
Deuce1911 wrote:
+1,000,000
It's about time for the people of Massachusetts to realize, we seceded from them 190 years ago. They no longer have any authority over Maine!
I guarantee, they drive me as crazy as they do you.
imported post
melinuxfool wrote:
That is why you've got to stay organized and vigilante - otherwise the things you love and expect will be eroded away, disappear.
Always maintain a firm but polite demeanor - don't stoop to their in-the-face tactics and yell or be belligerant - you may not like their ideas but they are entitled to the expression of them. Defeat them with facts and logic. Remember it is votes that count whether it is about 2A rights or a life style - sometimes one in the same.
Good luck - keep Maine free.
Yata hey
melinuxfool wrote:
Welcome to the painful world of a transient population. Arizona has them from California; Virginia gets them from D.C. and Maryland; Maine from Massachusetts - they bring with them liberal, anti-freedom ideas and try to reconstruct their new environment to equal the old one. Eventually they form sizable voting blocks.Deuce1911 wrote:+1,000,000
It's about time for the people of Massachusetts to realize, we seceded from them 190 years ago. They no longer have any authority over Maine!
I guarantee, they drive me as crazy as they do you.
That is why you've got to stay organized and vigilante - otherwise the things you love and expect will be eroded away, disappear.
Always maintain a firm but polite demeanor - don't stoop to their in-the-face tactics and yell or be belligerant - you may not like their ideas but they are entitled to the expression of them. Defeat them with facts and logic. Remember it is votes that count whether it is about 2A rights or a life style - sometimes one in the same.
Good luck - keep Maine free.
Yata hey
melinuxfool
Regular Member
imported post
Grapeshot wrote:
Grapeshot wrote:
It may be votes that count now, but votes are not supposed to have any bearing on rights. Individual rights belong solely to individuals. Only those individuals may relinquish them. No liberty should be put up to a vote.melinuxfool wrote:Welcome to the painful world of a transient population. Arizona has them from California; Virginia gets them from D.C. and Maryland; Maine from Massachusetts - they bring with them liberal, anti-freedom ideas and try to reconstruct their new environment to equal the old one. Eventually they form sizable voting blocks.Deuce1911 wrote:+1,000,000
It's about time for the people of Massachusetts to realize, we seceded from them 190 years ago. They no longer have any authority over Maine!
I guarantee, they drive me as crazy as they do you.
That is why you've got to stay organized and vigilante - otherwise the things you love and expect will be eroded away, disappear.
Always maintain a firm but polite demeanor - don't stoop to their in-the-face tactics and yell or be belligerant - you may not like their ideas but they are entitled to the expression of them. Defeat them with facts and logic. Remember it is votes that count whether it is about 2A rights or a life style - sometimes one in the same.
Good luck - keep Maine free.
Yata hey
imported post
melinuxfool wrote:
Keep in mind that the very slogan of this site is "A Right Unexercised is a Right Lost." That applies equally to 2A and voting - one impacts the other profoundly.
Since our rights are inalienable, it could become possible to still retain them in theory, but loose the effective use of them. We would be left with nothing but campfire discussions of remembering when.........
This is why I cannot encourage strongly enough, that a group be formed to promote the common good of the 2A in Maine much like other states have done - lobby, track the laws and proposals, educate the public, impact elections etc. You may start small but it will grow if it is nurtured.
Yata hey
melinuxfool wrote:
I do not disagree. I am an orginalist regarding the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Keep in mind that the very slogan of this site is "A Right Unexercised is a Right Lost." That applies equally to 2A and voting - one impacts the other profoundly.
Since our rights are inalienable, it could become possible to still retain them in theory, but loose the effective use of them. We would be left with nothing but campfire discussions of remembering when.........
This is why I cannot encourage strongly enough, that a group be formed to promote the common good of the 2A in Maine much like other states have done - lobby, track the laws and proposals, educate the public, impact elections etc. You may start small but it will grow if it is nurtured.
Yata hey
melinuxfool
Regular Member
imported post
Grapeshot wrote:
This is sort of a different topic, but have there been any people's veto efforts regarding the new open carry ban in Acadia?
Grapeshot wrote:
Count me in for support then, if such a group is started.
This is sort of a different topic, but have there been any people's veto efforts regarding the new open carry ban in Acadia?
shanebelanger
Accomplished Advocate
imported post
melinuxfool wrote:
melinuxfool wrote:
THAT is what i'm trying to push for... I'm just having a hard time getting it rolling...
smokeshow515
New member
imported post
Deuce1911 wrote:
Do tell Franklin... who was brandishing?? Fairly sure all firearms were holstered... Good use of inflammatory speech I suppose. :banghead:
Deuce1911 wrote:
Do tell Franklin... who was brandishing?? Fairly sure all firearms were holstered... Good use of inflammatory speech I suppose. :banghead: