OSU student has guns drawn on him, detained, for wearing EMPTY holster

[ifman]

http://osu.campusreform.org/group/bl...ster-protest-0

Ohio State University Police detained and drew their weapons on student-activist Mike Newbern for demonstrating his support for gun rights by wearing an empty holster to a candlelight vigil for Trayvon Martin on Wednesday.

Newbern, the president of Buckeyes for Concealed Carry, was taken forcibly into police custody just after 8:30 p.m., while he was standing at the front of the crowd wearing an empty holster, which was clearly visible on his belt, and with his hands crossed in front of his chest.

A police report released on Thursday indicates two officers drew their firearms before approaching Newbern and removing him from the vigil. They searched and questioned Newbern and confiscated his personal belongings, including his empty holster and camera case, before placing him handcuffed in the back of a cruiser for 30 minutes.

Newbern was released at 9:07 p.m. but was informed by police that the field investigation would be forwarded to the university's Committee of Academic Misconduct where he could be charged with disorderly conduct.

Newbern, who is a certified firearms safety instructor, said on Thursday he decided to attend the vigil to exercise his First Amendment right to demonstrate in favor of Ohio's concealed carry laws.


He said he suspects' campus police and students harassed him because he is the leader ofBuckeyes for Concealed Carry, a group Ohio State University President Gordon Gee has publically described as "vigilante."

On Tuesday, for example, President Gee expressed his continued opposition to the right for students to conceal carry on the Ohio State University Campus.

"You and I can debate that all day long and you have clear arguments," Gee said, addressing his remarks to Newbern. "But, I am in charge and we are not going to do it."

"We are very vocal in our struggle and I have become the face of our cause," Newbern said. "By invoking the most violent and most vivid imagery possible, they attempt to paint our progress towards self-defense as anything other than the natural rights that they are. And in this instance, the administration's toxic dialogue ran to its natural conclusion, which could have been prevented through more civil discourse."

[American1776]

This is disgraceful. Both the police dept. and the the university president ought to be ashamed of their despotic reactions to a law-abiding student.

Instead, they seem to be proud of tightening their tyrannical grip on the student subjects. It is very telling of a person's character when they say, 'You can give me all the valid arguments you want, I'm going to decide how you should live under my rule.'

The ironic thing is that this is coming from the president of a university, which are institutions that pride themselves on the free expression and exchange of ideas, and where 'everyone's opinion counts'.

[Shadowline]

The ironic thing is that this is coming from the president of a university, which are institutions that pride themselves on the free expression and exchange of ideas, and where 'everyone's opinion counts'.

The whole "exchange of ideas, everyone's opinion counts" thing is pure marketing. I never once encountered any college course that leaned any direction than pure left. And I suspect that is the rule rather than the exception.

[Dannytheman]

This is/was harassment, straight up!!

I get a kick out of all the bully rules these academicians create, and then they themselves violate them as if they are exempt.

[twoguns]

This is/was harassment, straight up!!

I get a kick out of all the bully rules these academicians create, and then they themselves violate them as if they are exempt.

The threat of lethal force (cops pointing guns at anyone) is supposed to be used only to thwart felony crime or to stop an action that would result in death or grave bodily harm.

Here we have, yet again, another over-reaction and use of excessive force as a tool of intimidation.

We are no longer a nation governed by rule of law. WOROL =without rule of law.

These fucktards should be fired and charged with a crime of threatening the use of lethal force.

[Hawk]

I see the "initial" police response a little different (lacking additional information)

Possible turn of events:
1. Police get a MWG call.
2. Police see suspect standing in the front of a crowd attending a vigil (with controversial roots) with a empty holster and his arms crossed across his chest.

Seems to me it could be plausible to a on-looker that he has a gun and it's already drawn and in his hand, hidden from view under his other arm (crossed arms).
There is no way to know if he has a gun or not, but the empty holster would suggest he might have one, but it's not currently in the holster.

3. Police respond as if he has a gun in his hand.

Personally, I think it was in bad taste for Newbern to choose to attend that vigil just to make a his pro statement.

I don't agree with what the police did once they determined he wasn't in possession of a firearm.

[IronSight]

I see the "initial" police response a little different (lacking additional information)

Possible turn of events:
1. Police get a MWG call.
2. Police see suspect standing in the front of a crowd attending a vigil (with controversial roots) with a empty holster and his arms crossed across his chest.

Seems to me it could be plausible to a on-looker that he has a gun and it's already drawn and in his hand, hidden from view under his other arm (crossed arms).
There is no way to know if he has a gun or not, but the empty holster would suggest he might have one, but it's not currently in the holster.

3. Police respond as if he has a gun in his hand.

Personally, I think it was in bad taste for Newbern to choose to attend that vigil just to make a his pro statement.

I don't agree with what the police did once they determined he wasn't in possession of a firearm.

I have to disagree in the strongest possible way, it sounded to me like he was showing respect both for the vigil and Trayvon while silently showing his support of the law. He wasn't there shouting epithets or being disruptive.

Furthermore, your hypothetical well "maybe it's under his arm" doesn't provide any justification, in my opinion. He was towards the front of the crowd, you think the crowd would've just quietly had no issue if they actually saw an unholstered gun on him?

This was a complete overreaction, an obvious violation of his rights, and absolutely unjustifiable, in my opinion.

What a shocker though, the administration hates the second amendment so much that they willingly violate the first and fourth to bully someone who disagrees with them.

[Dannytheman]

I see the "initial" police response a little different (lacking additional information)

Possible turn of events:
1. Police get a MWG call.
2. Police see suspect standing in the front of a crowd attending a vigil (with controversial roots) with a empty holster and his arms crossed across his chest.

Seems to me it could be plausible to a on-looker that he has a gun and it's already drawn and in his hand, hidden from view under his other arm (crossed arms).
There is no way to know if he has a gun or not, but the empty holster would suggest he might have one, but it's not currently in the holster.

3. Police respond as if he has a gun in his hand.

Personally, I think it was in bad taste for Newbern to choose to attend that vigil just to make a his pro statement.

I don't agree with what the police did once they determined he wasn't in possession of a firearm.

Nahhhhhhhhh, I don't agree.. I also think that unicorns fart rainbows, but you need reasonable suspicion to come to your conclusions, and there seems to be no support for that in the story! A free man, standing doing nothing, is not causing any reasonable suspicion unless the campus cops were assisting him in getting into compliance with the asshole deans bullying methodology!

[ViperGTS19801]

First of all, what kind of friggin' numbskull calls 911 because someone DOESN'T have a gun?

[Curmudgeon]

First of all, what kind of friggin' numbskull calls 911 because someone DOESN'T have a gun?

Depends. Was he "brandishing" the not-gun?