By Jacob Prall
Protest. Americans have this powerful and important tool. Political change doesn’t come through silence but action; we must keep this right entrenched in our nation’s psyche. Open discourse should be encouraged, and environments in which opposing ideas can be exchanged is key to keeping a nation strong. But a disturbing reality is developing in states in which open-carry laws exist. The question of whether peaceful protest and open-carry laws can coexist is one that needs to be examined.
There’s a reason police are equipped with firearms. They are, hypothetically, well-trained and responsible for the security and safety of a community. The police are to serve and protect equally. Now, this may not be a reality in the United States, but it is an ideal that is incompatible with the right to protest and gather.
Firearms in the hands of civilians escalate both the people protesting and the people sworn to protect the public; escalation is inevitable, even understandable, when a crowd is armed with AR-15s.
Firearms are provocateurs. How can we expect our police to act responsibly when the U.S. citizenry can wave dangerous weaponry in their faces? If you were to swing a knife near an officer, you’d be arrested. If you carry an automatic rifle, the officer is supposed to look the other way. How can progress be made in strengthening community bonds among officers and citizens when such an extreme threat is made a part of their daily lives? Talk about a hostile work environment.
Police in the United States are under severe scrutiny for their handling of protesters and “suspects.” The number of unarmed black men, women, and children killed by the police is disturbing. Now, place guns in their hands. Would they have any chance of survival in their encounters with police, justified or otherwise? Deadly force is used disproportionately against African Americans — race can get you killed in America. Thus, open carry in our society today is a law that only privileges the white population. The risk of being killed during a split-second reaction over your open-carry weapon is exponentially higher for black Americans.
Firearms are instruments of intimidation. Though they may fill some with feelings of empowerment, they menace those around them. Guns are suppressive of voices that don’t agree with the gun owner. They frighten and silence otherwise free voices with the implicit threat of violence. Those with the money and privilege to own and flaunt their weaponry are taking advantage (whether consciously or unconsciously) of a subtle and legal form of domestic terrorism.
So, do we preserve the First Amendment and fight for a country of discourse and reason over violence and bullying or cling to thoroughly questionable interpretations of the Second Amendment? I fear we live in a time where the two are no longer compatible in some states. It’s a showdown between the First and Second Amendments; which should we the people cherish?
You might associate open carry with such states as Texas, in which the gun culture is a major presence. But the reality is only five states prohibit the open carrying of handguns. Iowa is not a state of tremendous unrest, but open carry is legal here. We sacrifice too much good by allowing open carry to exist.
