“Most states have no laws regarding guns in polling places, because for the most part, they haven’t really needed to make them,” washingtonpost.com reports with uncharacteristic realism. “The confluence of firearms and polling places isn’t something America has been concerned about on a national scale — until now.” Oh. Oh dear . . .
As we stumble into the home stretch of one of the most divisive presidential elections in recent history — complete with eyebrow-raising rhetoric on guns and voter fraud — many election officials across the country are, for the very first time, bracing for intimidation or even violence on Election Day. And there’s not much they can really do about it . . .
The combination of gun-related Election Day rhetoric and a somewhat confusing state web of gun laws has some election officials worried — especially in swing states with open carry laws and a history of mass gun violence.
This election cycle is certainly not one of the most divisive presidential elections in American history. Nor, I’d like to point out, the first one in which charges of voter fraud both proceeded and followed the final tally. Anyway, cue the anti-firearms freedom fear mongers.
“We’ve never seen this level of concern, this far out from Election Day — poll workers in states across the country being trained to deal with guns,” said Erika Soto Lamb, a spokeswoman with the Michael Bloomberg-aligned gun control group, Everytown for Gun Safety.
Wait. What? Trained how? To do what?
Other than training for how to respond in a mass shooting or studying up on what actions define voter intimidation, state laws about guns and voter intimidation are a patchwork of wildly varying regulations.
So . . . nothing out of the ordinary really. Politely ask an open carrier to stash their gun in their car if the polling place is a “gun-free zone.” Call the cops if someone refuses, or someone enters the polling place and starts shooting. Return fire? Somehow I don’t think that’s on the pre-election briefing. Maybe it should be . . .
But I digress. Mayor Bloomberg’s lackies at Everytown want privately owned guns banned from polling places. And everywhere else in every town in these United States, obvs. As does The Washington Post, who don’t mind mischaracterizing any and all pro-gun positions to further their civilian disarmament agenda. Like this:
This new focus on guns in polling places is also playing out in the context of a battle about who can openly carry guns and where. In the past year or two, pro-gun activists and gun-control activists have clashed over whether there are (or should be) limits on carrying weapons in public in open carry states.
Typically, an activist will bring an AR-15 into a Walmart or Target to demonstrate that he or she can, as gun control activists cry foul and try to put pressure on the company to take a stand against it. (Bloomberg’s group successfully pressured Starbucks and Chipotle into asking their customers to leave their guns at home.)
Typically? Typical of the Post, I’d say. But then I open carry. Just not when I vote. Because of my respect for the law. Which is more than I can say for the post and the U.S. Constitution.
Yep, that’s a gun, I’ve been trained to recognize that!
I propose that we ban liberals at the polls. Win-win. They won’t be scared and the country will be far better off.
Funny, but I don’t remember this rag being upset about the armed Black Panthers who were actually intimidating voters at a Philly polling place. Wonder why?
Faulty memory?
This blog started 13 months after the 2008 elections.
And the DOJ did nothing about it.
Maybe because this blog didn’t exist in November of 2008? “The Truth About Guns is a weblog about firearms which launched in February 2010.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truth_About_Guns
“Sorry I had to fight in the middle of your Black Panther Party” and make you look silly.
I wonder if they’ll deal with the Black Panthers, if they try their “assault weapons” for intimidation of white voters outside polling places, as they have done before. As always, the concern of the left is honest citizens being armed. Never action against criminals.
that’s because Left = criminals
slow clap … transitioning to thunderous applause!
The Black Panthers actions are the starting point for “modern” California gun laws. So what exactly is your point?
Yep.
We can’t allow ourselves to get so hung up in the silly partisan divide and conquer, that we loose sight of the ball. The more powerful weapons the Black Panthers, or anybody else for that matter, gets to carry around, the better. As long as the Black Panthers are arming themselves and resist being disarmed, they are in our camp. And, honestly, ditto for the Taliban.
Most divisive election in history??? Have they forgotten about that time we elected this guy named Lincoln and the country literally broke out in a civil war??
WaPo CYA: they cite “recent” history.
But what about the election that Bush “stole” and prompted a supreme court ruling, and the election John Kerry said was rigged? that was literally just a few elections back?
Damn, all those people we could have saved if only guns were banned at polling places…
Blood in the polls. Just like the blood in the streets of Cleveland.
If you think the Democratic party and Hillary’s senior campaign staff would never send “agitators” (that is putting it nicely) with an explicit mission to assault and batter people, then you are denying reality.
Fact 1: counter-demonstrators who went to Chicago overtly threatened so much destruction that Trump cancelled his rally.
Fact 2: Project Veritas has video of one of Hillary’s senior campaign staff members (or a hired “contractor”, I forget which one) explaining how he recruited mentally unstable (homeless) people and paid them to assault people at Republican events.
Fact 3: countless (thousands) of Democrats, Progressives, and gun-control advocates (but I repeat myself) on social media have openly called for the imprisonment and/or execution of Republicans, Conservatives, and gun-rights supporters.
All Progressives need is a sense that they can act with impunity and they will. And that applies to all levels, from “social justice warriors” on the streets all the way to the highest levels of government. That is precisely why we should be armed on election day.
In Utah, one can vote open carrying, even in a school. Provided you have carry permit. In Florida you cannot open carry, cannot carry at a polling place, or carry at a school.
Felony in Texas LOL
Texas is tricky in thay regard, especially because of early voting. Election Day voting takes place at each precinct’s prescribed location, which is usually a school. So carry is already prohibited….inside. You can carry with a license outside of the school building, but you might still be within the prohibited distance of the actual polling booths.
Early voting can take place just about anywhere and anyone in the county can vote at any of the early sites. That can take place at malls, civic centers, churches, even private residences in some cases. Even if you’re not there to vote and didn’t know voting was occurring, you could become an instant felon if you’re carrying.
And yet, I’ve never heard of licensed carrier freaking out and shooting anyone at a polling station. Seems much ado about nothing.
My favorite voting place is a grocery store. Walked in to buy diet coke and dog food and saw early voting was set up. Walked across the store and voted, thanked the workers for their service, walked back and bought my supplies. I completely forgot about my concealed carry weapon. No deaths occurred. No blood in the aisles. Or, maybe I am lying. You don’t know! Fact or felon?
Well, that’s one way of disenfranchising people….. Not only are you banned from voting this time. You are now a felon, so you can’t vote later, either…
…and the gun controllers love to point fingers at the gun community and claim that WE are the ones doing all the fear mongering. Nice.
Well the “new” black kitties were my point. But supposedly it’s only the (we’re) Right who is the problem…oh well.
Alabama… no need to have a permit to open carry at a polling place. I did it in the last election, and I’ll do it in this one. Interesting, the polling place is a town recreation center with a no-gun sticker on the door. Carried right past that illegal sign. Because of my respect for the law.
Kudos!
“Trained to deal with guns”? Hmm….
“Sir, I see you;re an honest law-abiding citizen exercising his constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I’d like to welcome you here today and thank you for reminding people this is a free country.
“If actual criminals try to disrupt the voting process here today, can I count on you to defy them?”
Wowser – I have been carrying concealed at every polling place since I got my CWL back in 2004. Who knew that I was bringing “voter intimidation” and the potential for a mass shooting into the polls? No one seemed to notice, or care, and there haven’t been any GFZ signs posted. Of course, now that Idaho is a Constitutional Carry state, we will be hearing the sounds of gunshots echoing from every polling place in the land! Just like Chicago! [sarc off].
Constitutional Carry took effect here on July 1, 2016, and the media is still desperately hoping for one incident of an honest citizen running amok with his eeeevil gun. Hasn’t happened, but they are sure it will. Any day now. (Sounds of crickets chirping….)
like.
What are they afraid of? A concealed carrier noticing an illegal voter fraud bus arriving from out of state for a vote?
But voter intimidation at the polling place is a time honored Democrat Party tradition! In fact the only voter intimidation I recall in my lifetime was the New Black Panthers brandishing clubs in Philadelphia, and I doubt they were for the GOP.
In Washington state, the polling place is my apartment, because we vote by mail. Whether or not I’m carrying at the moment I vote will largely depend on on dressed I am at the time
ZOMG! There is so much election rhetoric about how bad its all going to be if that other politician wins!
ZOMG Again! There’s guns out there in the world. And they are, for whatever horrible reason, legal to be there!
We’re all gonna die!
It seems like these people lack the ability to form memories. This is an election, and so far hasn’t been any more divisive than any of the last several dozen elections. There are guns. And have been for several hundred years. Neither of these ‘problems’ are new.
And to make it worse they seem to lack the will to use the resources available that would fill in their lack of memories.
I also was carrying my concealed 9mm Sig 228 while I voted for Trump and for Rubio, and no one who saw me vote raised any objection whatsoever–must have been because I voted by mail as allowed by Florida election law!! Deplorable DMD
Libtards ought to be more afraid of Clinton than guns.
If my polling place is a school? I don’t carry. If it’s the library or City Hall? I carry.
Simple. Colorado law states all taxpayer funded buildings allow licensed concealed carry or open carry unless there’s a metal detector and armed guards at the entrance. Schools excepted of course. Now if they’d just provide secure lockers at the courthouse so I don’t have to leave it in my car.
In Alabama, school carry is legal with an Alabama pistol permit. The board of education has a policy against it, but that’s not a law. They’ll try to kick you out if they see it, but the most they could charge you with is trespassing if you don’t leave. I’m still wondering how board of education policy trumps state law, though…
I work for the Board of Election during voting. If it is a federal election, no weapons are allowed in the voting building, plus they are held in buildings controlled by a city, county or state, these people do not allow weapons in any of them unless you are a member of the Gestapo
What state would that be?