Southwest PA TEA Party

[renegadephoenix]

Signs? 8 9 10

it's one of those things you had to be there for, kinda like an inside joke between me and Ed.

we Welcome signs at the TEA Party.

[Vig]

Hoping to make this one. I've a new shift with the weekends off, so it's looking good.

[renegadephoenix]

BRING YOUR PITCH FORKS and TORCHES (and guns too )

[offshorebear]

Ok. Someone convince me why I should OC my AR. I don't want to come off as a "nut".

[YosemiteSam]

Ok. Someone convince me why I should OC my AR. I don't want to come off as a "nut".

You will be in with some fine company. There were a bunch of us "NUTS" last time with pistols OC and slung rifles.

[offshorebear]

I know. I'll be OCing my shiny 1911 for sure. (Unless I get a better OC sidearm between now and then :P)

I'm not sold on the "lets all carry rifles around". I'm not against it. I understand it. I just want someone to sell it to me. What would I say when the old guy asks "Why do you have to carry that machine gun around?" I for see a situation where MSNBC shows a stock clips of a protest with racist signs and then cuts to a shot of a bunch of PAFOAers with black ARs. Should I spray paint my AR rainbow pattern? Someone explain why I should have my 9 pound AR digging into my neck all day. I'm more than willing to do it for a good reason.

[edstephan]

I got an email that the time was moved up to 10:00am




An OC Activist and 1 of the 3%
Ed Stephan

[bige64]

Considering attending... All depends whether the big "boss" lets me

[renegadephoenix]

I know. I'll be OCing my shiny 1911 for sure. (Unless I get a better OC sidearm between now and then :P)

I'm not sold on the "lets all carry rifles around". I'm not against it. I understand it. I just want someone to sell it to me. What would I say when the old guy asks "Why do you have to carry that machine gun around?" I for see a situation where MSNBC shows a stock clips of a protest with racist signs and then cuts to a shot of a bunch of PAFOAers with black ARs. Should I spray paint my AR rainbow pattern? Someone explain why I should have my 9 pound AR digging into my neck all day. I'm more than willing to do it for a good reason.

Let the Media see us, we are fed up, Period! if your too worried about being labeled a right wing nut case then don't open carry anything. i've been labeled a right wing nut ever since i was born. i don't care what other people think of me, they don't pay my bills, raise my son, or have anything to do with my life.

this is a chance for people to stand up and voice their opinion of the government along side thousands of like minded people.

don't know about you, but i'll be there with my are over my shoulder.

[JavaProgrammer]

I'm not sold on the "lets all carry rifles around". I'm not against it. I understand it. I just want someone to sell it to me. What would I say when the old guy asks "Why do you have to carry that machine gun around?" I for see a situation where MSNBC shows a stock clips of a protest with racist signs and then cuts to a shot of a bunch of PAFOAers with black ARs. Should I spray paint my AR rainbow pattern? Someone explain why I should have my 9 pound AR digging into my neck all day. I'm more than willing to do it for a good reason.

You should carry your rifle because it will encourage other gun owners. It will also provide opportunities to educate the uninformed. I have carried my AR-15 to three tea parties. Many people thanked me for carrying my rifle. Many people were genuinely curious and asked questions about it. I did not encounter a single person that had a problem with my rifle. Many people asked me why I brought my rifle, but their questions were out of curiosity, not hostility.

I have attended a total of four tea parties so far. I have carried my AR-15 at three of them. Out of those three, the one that I received the most attention at was the November 14th tea party in Harrisburg. I wrote a detailed post describing my experience at Harrisburg: http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/768...tml#post977255
As I explained in that post, I had the opportunity to chat with members of the media. Helby 13 and I found our names in a few newspaper articles. The media attention that we received was certainly not negative. The newspapers did not try to paint us as racists rednecks. However, the York Daily Record did get some facts wrong about my actions: http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/768...tml#post977821
I did call the newspaper and was able to get the article corrected: http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/768...tml#post987979
I have to give YDR credit. They made a mistake and corrected it. It is obvious to me that they do not have an anti-tea party or anti-EBR agenda.

If you decide to carry your AR, I would be extremely surprised if you were to receive any negative attention. In fact, you are likely to receive less attention than I did at Harrisburg. There are two reasons for this. When I was at Harrisburg, Helby 13 and I were the only ones carries rifles. There will be more people carrying rifles at the airport. At this point, I'm guessing that you might see between 20 and 30 other people carrying rifles. Another reason that you are going to receive less attention is because of the location. The Harrisburg tea party was at the Capitol steps in the middle of the city. It is a highly visible and public area. Because of the location, it is no surprise that Helby 13 and I had encounters with the media and law enforcement. The airport is out in the country and is somewhat secluded. Since it is not in the city, the media is going to pay less attention to it. I can assure you that MSNBC will not be there.

If you're still unsure about carrying your AR, you should at least have it in your car. Once you see that no one else is being harassed for carrying their rifle, you can go back to your car and retrieve it.

I understand your concerns. However, my experience has shown that carrying a rifle at a tea party leads to many positive encounters. I have yet to experience a negative encounter while carrying my AR. I do realize that this is always a possibility, but the chances a negative experience at the airport are almost zero. If you need more convincing, come join me at the Pittsburgh tea party on the 3rd: http://forum.pafoa.org/political-138...tea-party.html
I'll be there with my Glock and my AR-15.