A march on Washington with loaded rifles

Salon ^ | May 3, 2013 | Alex Seitz-Wald

[2ndDivisionVet]

Libertarian activist and radio host Adam Kokesh is hoping to get 1,000 people to march on Washington on July 4 — armed with loaded rifles. The plan, launched with a Facebook group today, is to gather on the Virginia side of the Potomac, where gun laws are lax, and then march across the bridge with loaded rifles slung over their shoulders into the District, where openly carrying weapons is generally prohibited.

“This will be a non-violent event,” the Facebook group warns, “unless the government chooses to make it violent.” Already, over 200 people have said they’ll attend the march. Here’s the message:

On the morning of July 4, 2013, Independence Day, we will muster at the National Cemetery & at noon we will step off to march across the Memorial Bridge, down Independence Avenue, around the Capitol, the Supreme Court, & the White House, then peacefully return to Virginia across the Memorial Bridge. This is an act of civil disobedience, not a permitted event. We will march with rifles loaded & slung across our backs to put the government on notice that we will not be intimidated & cower in submission to tyranny. We are marching to mark the high water mark of government & to turn the tide. This will be a non-violent event, unless the government chooses to make it violent. Should we meet physical resistance, we will peacefully turn back, having shown that free people are not welcome in Washington, & returning with the resolve that the politicians, bureaucrats, & enforcers of the federal government will not be welcome in the land of the free.

Kokesh is a former Marine who was discharged in 2007 after violating the military’s code against engaging in political activity while in uniform. Kokesh was highly active in the antiwar movement....

[deks]

Scroll down for previous articles about him. . .

FR Keyword: adamkokesh

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/adamkokesh/index

[unixfox]

I’d rather we just take rope.

For starters.

[deks]

Arlington National Cemetary is federal land, not Virginia’s...

---

And since the D.C. and Virginia line runs along the West shoreline of the Potomac River, there is some land on the Virginia side of the Potomac River that is actually part of D.C. due to a small watercourse that makes it an island.

It’s the area on the West side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, and it includes the George Washington Parkway between the Roosevelt Bridge and the 14th Street Bridge. So D.C. gun law may be applied there from what I’ve heard.

[LouAvul]

An incredibly stupid idea to make gun owners appear incredibly stupid. And any gun owner who would participate in anything so incredibly stupid is, incredibly stupid.

[mnehring]

(sorry, looking for an excuse to post that)

[2ndDivisionVet]

"You go face to face with the Federal Government, you are going to lose every time..."

I think the Viet Cong, North Vietnamese, Iraqis, Afghans, 9/11 terrorists and Benghazi murderers would disagree with you, but I understand what you mean.

[tomkat]

there's a real good chance he's not reading the balloon

[2ndDivisionVet]

“If every Jewish and anti-nazi family in Germany had owned a Mauser rifle and twenty rounds of ammunition AND THE WILL TO USE IT Adolf Hitler would be a little-known footnote to the history of the Weimar Republic.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2312894/posts

[freeandfreezing]

Thanks for the well researched post on what appears to be a well connected left wing activist at work. Whatever he is trying to do with his crazy rifle carrying protest, it isn’t remotely related to supporting and encouraging conservative, patriotic causes.

[RaceBannon]

and i would deserve it!

[JSDude1]

War already.. don’t put me on the front lines.

[freeandfreezing]

He's a provacateur.

And a leftist too. Note that Salon is already using his plan to tar conservatives, and gun owners:

"A gun activist..."

"He started an anti-government radio show as the Tea Party picked up steam..."

"but the protest may strike a chord with gun fanatics, who stage “open carry” protests across the country to fight gun control laws"

Needless to say Alex Seitz-Wald at Salon neglects to point out that "open carry" events are done in places where open carry is legal, and they are less protests than simple demonstrations of a legal activity. Kind of like people walking in a permitted, legal parade to support some cause, or a group of bicyclists going riding together.

And Seitz-Wald tries to associate Kokesh with the Tea Party, and gun owners, even though both groups may well reject him.

[mnehring]

What balloon?

[sport]

In the ones that you mentioned, the Government was on their side. We were defeated politically, not battlewise. In this case, the Government will not hesitate to jump on us with both feet and we will face the full might of the Government of the United States, however corrupt it may be.

[Conserev1]

Looks like jail and felony to me anf all guns will be confiscated! Now grab a million or more yea that would make an impact!

[sport]

Yep

[Oldpuppymax]

Should armed Americans ever march on DC, the numbers will be closer to 1 million and more. The political ruling class will be evacuating the halls of power as rapidly as their self-important little legs will carry them, for they will know that they have finally gone over the edge.