This is crazy. They are allowing people to have assault weapons and guns and be near a President.

Man carrying assault weapon attends Obama protest.

By AMANDA LEE MYERS and TERRY TANG, Associated Press Writers Amanda Lee Myers And Terry Tang, Associated Press Writers – Mon Aug 17, 6:22 pm ET

PHOENIX – About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday — the latest incident in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president.

Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday's event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, didn't need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested.

The man with the rifle declined to be identified but told The Arizona Republic that he was carrying the assault weapon because he could. "In Arizona, I still have some freedoms," he said.

Phoenix police Detective J. Oliver, who monitored the man at the downtown protest, said police also wanted to make sure no one decided to harm him.

"Just by his presence and people seeing the rifle and people knowing the president was in town, it sparked a lot of emotions," Oliver said. "We were keeping peace on both ends."

Last week, during Obama's health care town hall in Portsmouth, N.H., a man carrying a sign reading "It is time to water the tree of liberty" stood outside with a pistol strapped to his leg.

"It's a political statement," he told The Boston Globe. "If you don't use your rights, then you lose your rights."

Police asked the man to move away from school property, but he was not arrested.

Fred Solop, a Northern Arizona University political scientist, said the incidents in New Hampshire and Arizona could signal the beginning of a disturbing trend.

"When you start to bring guns to political rallies, it does layer on another level of concern and significance," Solop said. "It actually becomes quite scary for many people. It creates a chilling effect in the ability of our society to carry on honest communication."

He said he's never heard of someone bringing an assault weapon near a presidential event. "The larger the gun, the more menacing the situation," he said.

Phoenix was Obama's last stop on a four-day tour of western states, including Montana and Colorado.

Authorities in Montana said they received no reports of anyone carrying firearms during Obama's health care town hall near Bozeman on Friday. About 1,000 people both for and against Obama converged at a protest area near the Gallatin Field Airport hangar where the event took place. One person accused of disorderly conduct was detained and released, according to the Gallatin Airport Authority.

Heather Benjamin of Denver's Mesa County sheriff's department, the lead agency during Obama's visit there, said no one was arrested.

Arizona is an "open-carry" state, which means anyone legally allowed to have a firearm can carry it in public as long as it's visible. Only someone carrying a concealed weapon is required to have a permit.

Paul Helmke, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said people should not be allowed to bring guns to events where Obama is.

"To me, this is craziness," he said. "When you bring a loaded gun, particularly a loaded assault rifle, to any political event, but particularly to one where the president is appearing, you're just making the situation dangerous for everyone."

He said people who bring guns to presidential events are distracting the Secret Service and law enforcement from protecting the president. "The more guns we see at more events like this, there's more potential for something tragic happening," he said.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said armed demonstrators in open-carry states such as Arizona and New Hampshire have little impact on security plans for the president.

"In both cases, the subject was not entering our site or otherwise attempting to," Donovan said. "They were in a designated public viewing area. The main thing to know is that they would not have been allowed inside with a weapon."

Representatives of the National Rifle Association did not return calls for comment.

crazy people

he (the prez) is probably safer

i doubt any one wanting to shoot him would be mingling in the crowd

when there is no clue whom may have a weapon to take out an assassin

and face it if yer a pro you will know who is ss and who is not

ss imagine that sounds familiar does it not)

more law biding people with guns the safer everyone is

including the prez

A Republican today said he did not fear that at his town hall. Could it be because he is against the Obama health plan? I am sure he might change his mind when some wingnut parts his hair because they got hold of one of those guns and just started shooting at will.

well if that happens one of the law biding carriers will end it real quick

Sorry but we have too many crazies out there for me to ever believe that is true.

While this is disturbing. There is another message being sent by the President. He is trying to build trust with the "Blue collar, no collar, groups. Is it wise? NO! This is anouther weekend farmer. Like him or not, he is the PRESIDENT! You may argue and email, call your congress person (wow! Politically corect!). The right to bear arms(something I beleive in) should be constrained around our President!
And, no, I didn't vote for him. But, I have to respect the guy. Who would in sound mind want the job now?

hmmmmm I'm pretty pro gun but after Lincoln, Garfield, and Kennedy it still seems like a bad idea to allow them that close to the President with weapons

I think you might want to tell that to these Presidents:

There have been 90 known attempts to kill sitting and former Presidents as well as Presidents-elect.

Four attempts on sitting Presidents have succeeded: Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President), James A. Garfield (the 20th President), William McKinley (the 25th President) and John F. Kennedy (the 35th President).

Two other Presidents were injured in attempted assassinations: then former President Theodore Roosevelt and then sitting President Ronald Reagan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidential_assassination_attempts

show me the pictures of those in the crowd with assault rifles

you may have just proved my point

Well you are assuming aren't you? How many would be already dead or seriously injured before another carrier responds? If more and more show up at these town halls packing guns, how will we know who is licensed and who is not?

no more than you are

and the constitution agrees with me

It just takes a bit of common sense. With a trend like this, and more crazies feeling inspired by it, it's only a matter of time before something happens. I imagine someone with no license to carry would blend well with many others who might be licensed but it only takes a second for tragedy to occur.

and one second too end it

little johnnies tragedy in obama class

from jokes forum

---------

Presidential candidate Barack Obama was visiting a
>>>> primary school and he visited one of the classes. They were in the
>>>> middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The
>>>> teacher asked the presidential candidate if he would like to lead
>>>> the discussion on the word 'tragedy'. So our illustrious democratic

>>>> presidential candidate asked the class for an example of a
>>>> 'tragedy'.
>>>> >
>>>> > One little boy stood up and offered: 'If my best
>>>> friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor
>>>> runs over him and kills him, that would be a tragedy.'
>>>> >
>>>> > 'No,' said Obama, 'that would be an
>>>> accident.'
>>>> >
>>>> > A little girl raised her hand: 'If a school bus
>>>> carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside,
>>>> that would be a tragedy.'
>>>> >
>>>> > 'I'm afraid not,' explained Obama.
>>>> 'That's what we would call great loss.'
>>>> >
>>>> > The room went silent. No other children volunteered.
>>>> Obama searched the room. 'Isn't there someone here who can give me
>>>> an example of a tragedy?'
>>>> >
>>>> > Finally at the back of the room, Little Johnny raised
>>>> his hand. In a quiet voice he said: 'If the plane carrying you and
>>>> Mrs. Obama was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to
>>>> smithereens that would be a tragedy.'
>>>> >
>>>> > 'Fantastic!' exclaimed Obama. 'That's
>>>> right. And can you tell me why that would be tragedy?'
>>>> >
>>>> > 'Well,' says Little Johnny, 'It has to be
>>>> a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss... And it
>>>> probably wouldn't be an accident either.
>>>
>>>

I prefer my assumption to yours. I don't want to see my family members slaughtered by some wacho in the crowd that thought it would be cool to shoot up a bunch of people in a crowd at a town hall where tempers might flare.

That's a disgusting joke...

Usually Only in the movies...

same could be said for only a second to start it

and yes it is

but hey you brought it up

tragedy that is