NH Gun Safety Rally Disturbance

Sometimes, things happen that are so bizarre that they don't seem real. They must be part of a dream, a nightmare or a fantasy.

Six months have elapsed since the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took the lives of 20 children and six teachers. A bus tour has been organized by safety supporters to mark the fact that well over 5,000 people have died as a result of gun violence since Sandy Hook. The bus tour started in Newtown, Connecticut, on the six-month anniversary of the shooting and will continue over the next 100 days, stopping in 25 states. At each stop, the names of all the people killed by guns during the last six months will be read.

The second stop on the tour took place in Concord. My wife and I drove there to be part of the rally. And it was at this point that life became unreal. As we approached City Plaza, we heard a lot of shouting, which we attributed to gun safety supporters. Not so. A counter-demonstration by gun advocates was taking place. And they weren't being shy about it, doing their very best to disrupt and possibly end the reading of the names of the gun victims. Many among them were openly displaying guns, including  semi-automatic rifles.

As we approached the podium, a minister from a Congregational Church in Lebanon began to speak. The hooting and catcalling by the gun supporters continued unabated. The minister ended his remarks by offering a prayer to the group. Did the gun backers fall silent? Not in the least. They continued shouted just as loudly as before.

The minister who spoke next was offered the same treatment, persistent yelling and abuse, including during the time that she was praying. Needless to say, the gun safety supporters who came to the event expecting a peaceful event were taken by surprise. They looked strained and uncomfortable.

At length, a man from Manchester, John Cantin, whose daughter had been shot and killed by her husband, began to speak and read names. A gun advocate, Daniel Musso, stepped forward from the crowd, and stood next to him at the podium. Musso told Cantin to remove his glasses (perhaps so he couldn't read his script) and then Musso placed his hand directly over the paper from which Cantin was reading to block his view. A crisis was developing, which could degenerate into violence.

At this point, plain clothes security at the event called the Concord police, who descended upon City Plaza with squad car lights flashing and sirens screaming. The cavalry to the rescue. Three officers surrounded Musso, and led him away from the podium. Eventually, Musso was subdued with a Taser gun after he struggled with police. Musso was taken to Merrimack County Jail where he was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and two counts of simple assault.

The crowd of gun supporters quickly thinned after the police arrived, and they quieted down. Once again, police are there when we need them the most. They had quelled a disturbance which might easily have resulted in injury or death. The Concord Monitor notes (6/19/13), "Emotions had been high leading up to the arrest, with dozens of gun rights advocates - many brandishing firearms and signs - chanting loudly as gun regulation speakers talked about and read the names of victims recently killed by gun violence."

After the arrest, The reading of the names continued. The gun safety participants, though clearly uncomfortable, did not back down. They stood their ground and stayed to the very end of the event.

So what lessons were learned? First, part of the way gun supporters sell their message is through fear and intimidation. If you oppose us, we will harass and threaten you.

Second, in support of the Second Amendment, gun advocates are prepared to trample the rights of others. According to the First Amendment, gun safety backers had every right to peacefully assemble and state their case in Concord. Instead of respecting the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment, the gun owners in attendance did everything they could to prevent it.

Think about it. Do we really want government of the bullies, by the bullies, and for the bullies?