Should Guns Be Allowed at the RNC?

An online petition has amassed 40,000 signatures demanding that open carry of firearms be allowed at the Republican National Convention.

We’ve already seen violence and rioting facilitated by progressive organizations at Donald Trump rallies.  The usual leftist groups expressly organized to deny attendees the ability to freely associate and to silence and intimidate anyone voicing a differing opinion to leftist orthodoxy. It’s clear we should all expect some kind of disruption at the RNC, and who can blame attendees who fear for their safety?

It turns out that the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, the location of the RNC, forbids firearms on its premises, although Ohio is an open carry state.

The petition lists five points of action.

1. From the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland: A suspension of their policy preventing the open carry of firearms on the premises of the arena from July 18-21, 2016 to coincide with the Republican National Convention.

2. From the National Rifle Association: An immediate condemnation of the egregious affront to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution constituted by the “gun-free zone” loophole to the state law.

3. From Ohio Governor John Kasich: A concerted effort to use his executive authority to override the “gun-free zone” loophole being exploited by the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

4. From Reince Priebus and the Republican National Committee: An explanation of how a venue so unfriendly to Second Amendment rights was chosen for the Republican Convention. Further, we demand a contingency plan to relocate the convention to another location should the Quicken Loans Arena refuse to honor the constitutional rights of the RNC guests to open carry firearms during the convention.

5. From all Republican candidates for President: You have been brave in raising awareness about the immense dangers posed by “gun-free zones.” In order to ensure the safety of your supporters, delegates and all attendees at the convention in July, you must call upon the RNC to rectify this affront to our Second Amendment freedoms and insist upon a suspension of the Quicken Loans Arena’s unconstitutional “gun-free zone” loophole. Every American is endowed with a God-given Constitutional right to carry a gun wherever and whenever they please.

On Sunday, candidate Donald Trump said he would investigate the petition. “I have not seen the petition,” he said. “I want to see what it says. I want to read the fine print.”

I don’t see the petition going anywhere, although I understand the sentiment.  Security around the GOP conventions are always tight; the 2012 RNC in Tampa was ridiculously inconvenient because of the security protocols for the convention. Not only would Quicken probably have some liability issues with so many people carrying firearms on their premises, the Secret Service provides security to the candidates and they would certainly not approve of a room full of attendees and malcontents armed up.

What do you think: should the RNC allow open carry at the convention?