Harassed for Open Carry at Seattle TEA Party 2009

I attended the Seattle TEA Party 2009 hoping to get some good footage at the event. As is usual for me, I was carrying my GLOCK 22 pistol on my hip. While trying to take some shots of one of the speeches being given, a hardly-noticed counter-protester decided that his opinion of open carry was important enough for me to hear, and made a thinly veiled threat to take my gun and shoot up the crowd. Nice guy. This is a quick and dirty cut of that footage, subtitled because the audio quality is poorer than I had hoped.

This is pretty much the first time I've even been harassed for OCing, excluding police interactions. Most of the time, the general public is either supportive or quizzical.

I was one of three people OCing at the event, and probably the most low-key of them all. One other person handed out fliers and spoke with Fox News about his participation. None the less, I appear to have somehow been the only one to make the news:

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/04/tea_party_post_mortem.php
http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum66/24573.html
http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum55/24538.html

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• harassed
• harassment
• open
• carry
• seattle
• washington
• tea
• party
• 2009

[JesusDillinger]

America is an open carry zone.

[pcracer2]

to me thats the best time to carry. second, somone wouldnt grab your pistol if they intended on shooting people... THEY WOULD ALREADY HAVE ONE!!!

[tommysixgunner]

Hippie Faggot go live in Russia Fuck !!

[Deathwhisperer42]

I would have thrown that dirtbag on the deck and put cuffs on him. Called the cops and told them that he said that he was going to kill me and ass fuck my corpse. Don't ever let some punk like that walk up on you and talk shit without providing appropriate consequences. You, sir, with all due respect are a pussy. You should only carry concealed because your cock is obviously not big enough.

[Elpapi702]

Im so sick of hearing people say that they think the could disarm me cause i open carry. Ive got to the point where i tell them to come and get it. its the only way to know for sure.

[TheSpeedfreak94]

that guy sign said "fuck the hate " but he is hating on the guy filming the event for up holding his 2ND amendment right to own and open carry firearms haters gonna hate

[TheSingingDemon]

Dude I was there for that, same guy harassed me too about it lol. Small world.

[airplanebuilderman]

mr fuck the hate sounds like a doper and looking for trouble. i really like some of these comments that are posted. this hate guy sounds like a real winner . HAHAAAA

[joshballard37]

I wish someone would have been carrying in Tuscon at Safeway when that idiot shot up the crowd killing several people. A public event is exactly the time and place to carry. That guy has no idea of what he was talking about. EVERONE, keep on carrying.

[AnnoyingXboxer]

"I could beat you up and take it"..... "I can shoot you and prevent you from taking it..."..

[Wolfe1944]

God, what an idiot. The idea of carrying is to carry it ALL THE TIME in case something were to happen.

[mikesanford11]

Who is that meth riddled dork?