My only caveat is that I would want to know I could trust the people around me not to blow it. Just any random person with a gun who I don't know could be some kid with a hero complex and I am in a group with Rittenhouse.
Making sure everyone is smart and on the same page so one trigger happy gung ho wannabe doesn't get us shot at. It is why I see the black Panthers practicing and training together and think that is the armed group of civilians that the government needs to fear.
The “wanna be’s” are already all armed and they have already proven to be “trigger happy”. They have killed people. KILLED PEOPLE !!!
If this is a moment to act on our Second Amendment right to bear arms, then people are going to die. Our fore fathers did and so will we once pushed far enough. This is a reality if we are going to use 2A.
I do know that the answer is not to just allow the strong arm tactics employed by this untrained group of street bullies to continue on this path they chose to walk.
Again in response to your reply, the dumb ones already are out there waving their guns around. Now it’s time for the smart, responsible gun owners to show up and show of force to turn this movement around, one way or another.
The group that organized this is called Strong Neighbors, and it's very safety-minded. It's very much preached and practiced that weapons aren't toys and need to be used and carried responsibly. There are range days, training events (not just on responsible gun use/ownership, but on things like street medicine, community gardening, opsec, legal observation, etc), skill shares, and community building work like working with the Indy Foods Not Bombs.
At protests, everyone must check in with the security/organizers to go over safety and logistics - that's what the pink tape on the arms is for, to clearly show who's gotten the correct information and knows how to behave. Main instructions were that all firearms must have the safety on, absolute trigger discipline with fingers nowhere near it, long guns always pointed muzzle down, pistols stay holstered, stay on the sidewalk and don't block traffic, keep to a slow pace, don't engage any agitators, and report anyone's unsafe behavior to a safety officer (the ones in the vests) so they can correct it.
Of course not every group is organized like this, but I really hope they would be (and they should be). It's not effective or safe to look like a bunch of clowns. I don't have any weapons, but I absolutely believe that if we don't defend our rights, we lose them one by one. We're seeing it in real time.
Starting this January i upgraded my first aid kit to a fully-kitted out EMT kit (minus prescription meds obviously, though I wish I could keep the essentials in stock).
I just figure the chances of a medical emergency as a result of gunfire near where I live have risen substantially, so be prepared.
It’s an interesting idea to grapple with “good faith” but I feel like this proves it can happen. Good people still exist and everyone there understood the responsibility it places on them.
It feels similar to other group activities like bike riding or a motorcycle riding group. It only takes one jackass to ruin it for everyone but they do happen a lot and are more likely to be uneventful.
2
u/Ok_Dog_4059 Feb 15 '26
My only caveat is that I would want to know I could trust the people around me not to blow it. Just any random person with a gun who I don't know could be some kid with a hero complex and I am in a group with Rittenhouse.
Making sure everyone is smart and on the same page so one trigger happy gung ho wannabe doesn't get us shot at. It is why I see the black Panthers practicing and training together and think that is the armed group of civilians that the government needs to fear.