Exercising their first amendment rights to save the second amendment.
Via USA Today:
Thousands of people gathered at the Arizona Capitol on Saturday, joining hundreds of concurrent marches across the U.S. protesting gun violence in schools and calling for gun-control laws.
In the middle of the Phoenix marchers were a few dozen protesters, some carrying AR-15 rifles and other weapons and others waving signs in support of the Second Amendment.
Throughout the morning, members of both groups faced off — some yelling at each other, others participating in more conversational debates.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the march crowd totaled 15,000. There were no arrests, they reported.
Likewise, in Salt Lake City, about 8,000 protesters collided with 1,000 pro-gun counter-demonstrators, exchanged shouts but remaining peaceful, according to police.
Utah, a state that also allows open-carry, hosted some in the pro-gun rally carrying pistols on their hips and AR-style weapons slung over their shoulders, “because I can. It’s our right,” Mark Stewart, a counter protester told the Salt Lake Tribune.
In Helena, Mont., a March for Our Guns counter event drew about 150 people. Attendees held signs that said “No guns, No freedom” and “Montana treasures God, guns and family.”
Mike Opie, 32, of Helena, said he felt sorry for the Florida victims, most of whom were high school students.
“I’m upset kids got shot,” said Opie, who said he served with in the Marines in Iraq. “But to take guns away is not constitutional.”[…]
Ken and Linda Bielek, both 76, were among the marchers. They said they were fed up with a lack of progress on the issue of gun control. They said they don’t want to “take away anybody’s guns,” but do want to see universal background checks and assault-rifle bans.
“I don’t know of anybody that’s saying take away guns from people who have shotguns, a revolver or pistol for home protection or target shooting,” Ken Bielek said. “We’re not asking the politicians, we’re demanding that they ban assault weapons. There’s gun violence happening every day. We’re fed up with it.”
At one point, Ken Bielek pulled out his pocket Constitution. As a U.S. Army veteran, he said he supports the Second Amendment. But he said the founders couldn’t have predicted the rapid change in gun technology.
“They had muskets back then,” he said. “Today, they’re killing machines.”