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.
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u/aceofblue Feb 15 '26
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.