Open Carry ‘Swatting’ Making Second Amendment Advocates Targets By Gun Control Group?

Open carry gun owners have become “swatting” targets due to a Coalition to Stop Gun Violence social media campaign, gun activists maintain.

The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence gun control group has placed law-abiding gun owners in harm’s way, according to comments made by some Second Amendment activists, Fox News reports. The anti-gun group has reportedly encouraged calling 911 immediately if an individual is spotted carrying a gun in public.

Here is an excerpt from a post on the gun control group’s Facebook page.

“If you see someone carrying a firearm in public—openly or concealed—and have ANY doubts about their intent, call 911 immediately and ask police to come to the scene. Never put your safety, or the safety of your loved ones, at the mercy of weak gun laws that arm individuals in public with little or no criminal and/or mental health screening.”

The open carry swatting claims allegedly emerged as a response to states relaxing the burdens placed on gun owners to both open and concealed carry in public spaces. In a Buckeye Firearms Association blog post, the gun rights advocacy group from Ohio stated that the urging by the gun control group to call the police when encountering an American exercising his or her Second Amendment rights could provoke needless and tense confrontations with law enforcement officers.

The Buckeye Firearms Association and related Second Amendment groups have likened the tactics employed by the gun control group to “swatting,” the practice of tricking police into responding to senseless or hoax calls.

Gun Owners of America representative Erich Pratt feels gun control advocates have been thwarted in the past and are now looking for another way to deter open carry and concealed carry in the United States.

“This practice is exactly what they [Coalition to Stop Gun Violence] are doing. It’s one thing if someone is using a gun in an illegal or unlawful manner. No one is questioning that. But this clearly sounds like swatting,” Pratt said. “Anti-gun advocates are clearly frustrated. They want guns banned. They are inciting their radical base to turn their own neighbors in.”

A National Review report revealed that gun control groups, such as Moms Demand Action and GunFreeZone.net, published a multitude of comments which advocated the public calling 911 and “intentionally exaggerating” what they see when encountering someone who is exercising their Second Amendment, concealed carry, or open carry rights when calling law enforcement.

“In an era in which individuals are being allowed to carry loaded guns on our streets with no permit, background check or required training, it is common sense for concerned citizens to call 911 when they see an armed individual whose intentions are unclear,” Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Director of Communications Ladd Everitt said. “Gun-toters who are truly law-abiding and mentally competent have nothing whatsoever to worry about.”

What do you think about the open carry swatting allegations made against the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence gun control group?

[Image via: Shutterstock.com]