Only 2 People Showed Up To July 4 Richmond Open Carry Demonstration

in Seattle, Wednesday, March 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Two Richmond, Va. open carry advocates organized a demonstration in the city’s Carytown neighborhood on July 4, but they were the only two people to attend.

They invited more than 300 people on Facebook to walk down one of the city’s main streets openly carrying handguns, rifles and long guns, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Organizer Jason Spitzer, a Chesterfield County steel mill worker, was unable to explain the low turnout.

“I don’t know why,” he told the Times-Dispatch.

Spitzer said he thought Independence Day was the perfect day to “spread Constitutional awareness” and promote Second Amendment rights.

“But even if nobody came I’d still walk,” he said. “It’s the Fourth of July and I love my country.”

Open carry demonstrations have gained a lot of attention recently, particularly the group Open Carry Texas.

The group has staged protests at Chipotle and Target, prompting both chains to ask customers to refrain from bringing guns into the establishments.

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: