What happened to the right to bear arms?
Posted by Austin Petersen on 16 Apr 2013.
Article source.
Texas police detained an active-duty Army sergeant for the crime of "rudely displaying" his AR-15 style hunting rifle. The soldier is claiming he was illegally arrested and disarmed. The man's son was on scene to record the footage because the two had been on a hike to complete his Eagle Scout badge. The sergeant has established an online legal defense fund and is asking for help to fight back against what be believes to be a violation of his 2nd amendment rights.
It's incredible to think that in this day that a veteran hiking with his son could be arrested for simply carrying a hunting rifle. What does "rudely displaying" mean? Did he brandish it menacingly? Did he point it at them? It's hard to believe that a man with his son would be so foolish as to point a loaded rifle in a police officers direction. What would have been the reason for detaining him?
The officer who arrived on the scene to subdue the Army sergeant says that "in this day and age, people see you carrying a weapon like this and they're alarmed…" The arresting officers also state clearly they are "exempt from the law". They don't think people should be carrying rifles around that might offend someone. Pure political correctness can now be used to restrict gun rights if an officer of the law decides to exercise arbitrary power backed by public sentiment.
The US constitution clearly grants an individual the right to bear arms. But when the state's enforcers come down, in the end, it's only a piece of paper. It's up to the people to defend it. Watch the video below, which is followed by the synopsis of the event.
Active Duty Soldier Illegally Disarmed and Arrested
Published on Apr 15, 2013
On March 16, 2013, my son and I were hiking along country roads among pastures and fields with my 15-year old son to help him earn his hiking merit badge. I always enjoy these father/son hikes because it gives me time alone with my son. As I always do when we go on these hikes and walks, I took my trusty rifle with me as there are coyotes, wild hogs, and cougars in our area. In Texas, it is legal to openly carry a rifle or shotgun as long as you do so in a manner that isn't calculated to cause alarm. In other words, you can't walk around waving your rifle at people. I always carry my rifle slung across my chest dangling, not holding it in my hands.
At about the 5 mile mark of our hike, a voice behind us asked us to stop and the officer motioned for us to approach him. He got out of his car and met us a few feet later. He asked us what we were doing and I explained that we were hiking for my son's merit badge. He then asked me what I'm doing with the rifle, to which I responded in a calm manner, "Does it matter, officer? Am I breaking the law?"
At that point, the officer grabbed my rifle without warning or indication. He didn't ask for my rifle and he didn't suggest he would take it from me. He simply grabbed it. This startled me and I instantly pulled back - the rifle was attached to me - and I asked what he thought he was doing because he's not taking my rifle. He then pulled his service pistol on me and told me to take my hands off the weapon and move to his car, which I complied with. He then slammed me into the hood of his car and I remembered I had a camera on me (one of the requirements of the hiking merit badge is to document your hikes). This video is the rest of that encounter. Up to this point, I am not told why I am being stopped, why he tried to disarm me, or even that I'm under arrest.
We did not set out that Saturday morning to "make a point" or cause problems. Our goal was to complete a 10-mile hike and return home without incident. My son chose a route that away from populated areas but near our home.
The arresting officer is Officer Steve Ermis and the supervisor is Sergeant Minnicks of the Temple Police Department.
If you agree this was a gross act of exceeded authority, please help me fight these charges: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2nd...
