Men Asked to Leave Ron Paul Rally After Openly Carrying Firearms

SPOKANE, Wash. -

Hundreds of supporters packed the Spokane Convention Center Friday to hear presidential candidate Ron Paul as he made a visiting return in advance of the Republican precinct caucuses. Paul, the Congressman from Texas, is a staunch Second Amendment supporter. On Friday night, while he took aim at President Barack Obama's policies, security at the Convention Center took aim at another issue: those openly carrying firearms.

In Washington, it's perfectly legal to openly carry firearmsas long as it's not being usedto intimidate, harass, and so on. There are strict rules about where people can't openly carry weaponsincluding jails and court houses.Ron Paul supporter Jeff Hayes carried his pistol on his hipat the Ron Paul rally in Spokane because he thought he was well within his legal rights.

Turns out, he wasn't.

Hayes has a concealed pistol's license but said officials asked him to leave the Convention Center because his weapon was not concealed.

"It was embarrassing to be standing there like that when they should have just let it be," Hayes said. "I've been openly carrying a firearm almost everywhere I go for the last three years and this if the first time I've been stopped or questioned or bothered by anybody."

Hayes quickly pointed out firearms-related state codes to officials at the rally, including RCW 94.1.290 (State preemptions) and RCW 9.41.300 (Weapons prohibited in certain places). The later of the two RCW's states that cities, towns, counties, and other municipalities may enact laws and ordinances "Restricting the possession of firearms in any stadium or convention center, operated by a city, town, county, or other municipality, except that such restrictions shall not apply to: any pistol in the possession of a person licensed under RCW 9.41.070 or exempt from the licensing requirement by RCW 9.41.060."

See the rest here:
Men Asked to Leave Ron Paul Rally After Openly Carrying Firearms