Posted on 06/01/2007 1:26:08 PM PDT by em2vn
POST FALLS – Zach Doty typically wears a tie and dress shirt to church. But lately, a new accessory of his is raising alarm in Post Falls.
After turning 18 last month, the Post Falls teenager began strapping a loaded 9 mm Glock 19 handgun to his belt every day. He totes it in full view to Bible studies, the public library, city parks and neighborhood stores and on walks around town.
His 15-year-old brother, Stephen, has joined him, carrying a loaded Ruger .22-caliber rifle slung over his shoulder.
The brothers, who are home-schooled, say they're flexing their Second Amendment right, which allows citizens to bear arms. They say they're protecting themselves and others, deterring crime and making a statement about constitutional freedoms.
"If you don't exercise a right, eventually it will go away," Zach Doty said last week, a handgun tucked in a holster on his hip. "I'd like to raise people's awareness that it's a right, and I hope to encourage others to exercise that right."
The brothers are stirring up concern about citizen safety and gun responsibility.
Residents have alerted police and complained to the city. Police officers have stopped the boys on several occasions in the past six weeks.
And city officials say the brothers' action may lead to restrictions on carrying weapons on public property within city limits. At this time, the city doesn't have an ordinance that prohibits firearms in most public buildings.
"It obviously has created some controversy in the community. …We are fielding a significant number of calls from concerned citizens about how we're going to react to this and how we're going to ensure their safety is upheld," Post Falls City Administrator Eric Keck said. "It really is a matter of defining things very carefully and balancing maintaining one's rights and what has become the norm of society. It's something we're really going to have to examine."
Oh? Who have these kids shot? Who have they menaced? (I'm not talking about panty-waists feeling "threatened" by the sight of firearms either---I mean an actual armed threat.)
If you can't come up with instances of such abuse by these kids, I'd like you to tell us what you consider to be the "abuse" here.
From the article....
And city officials say the brothers' action may lead to restrictions on carrying weapons on public property within city limitsThere are better ways to promote the Second Amendment rights rather than going around scaring people.
His 15-year-old brother, Stephen, has joined him, carrying a loaded Ruger .22-caliber rifle slung over his shoulder.
I thought there was an age limit on carrying arms. I guess it depends on the state. It would definitely be surprising to see a 15 year old walking around with a loaded weapons.
When you abuse it to the point of having these rights removed..... useless.
Kind of like this?
There are better ways to promote religous rights rather than going around preaching to people.
That's what I mean by "menacing." But I fail to see how not wearing a coat or jacket over your holster means you're "brandishing" the weapon.
The boys are acting dumb. They should know that the ignorant public can’t distinguish between a crook with a gun and a law-abiding citizen with a gun, and so they do what all idiots do when they don’t know what to do, they call the police.
This must have the Lon Horiuchis of the country twitching.
That was my Mississippi of my youth too.
I walked around with a loaded weapon when I was 15 years old.
There is no open carry in Indiana.
Even with a permit, a weapon must be concealed.
It’s a minority of states that have open carry laws (arizona, alaska and some others, IIRC).
Well done reference...
What a crock of poop.
Idaho, like here in MT, is chock-full-o-guns! There are gun racks in almost every pickup, and they are a part of every-day life.
"Packing" here (as there I am sure) is an inconsequential thing and hardly even noticed. The only times I have had any trouble is when entering banks, or when being stopped by a sheriff... Even then it is no real problem, provided one handles the situation well.
This is a couple of Nancy-pants libs with their undies in a bunch. I doubt it is an hue and cry from the general community.
Bruce
No the parents of other peaceable law abiding young people are screwing up in not encouraging their law abiding young men and women to join them.
W
Scaring criminals seems like a good thing to me.
Wha?
When a citizen exercises their rights, they’re not “abusing” them.
And they’re not scaring anybody.
People with irrational fears are scaring themselves, and that is not a basis for restricting rights.
How many crooks go around with their weapons unconcealed? Not a whole lot I'm sure. And by the way, unless you've been convicted of a crime, you do have a constitutional right to bear arms. In theory, anyway.
My 13 and 11 year old both know how to shoot, safely handle, and recognize different firearms. As a parent, I believe it should be taught as a part of growing up. It is how I was raised..having a healthy respect for firearms but never wondering, fearing or questioning.
It’s the American way.
Too bad those in the inner city have negative connotations towards firearms.
Add NM to your list.
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