I’ve alwasy been of the mind that citizens ought to be able to strap on a holster and visibly be armed in the U.S.A. Concealed carry laws are great, and I am glad we have them, but constitutionally, I don’t think we should have to jump through the hoops and pay a bunch of fees to be licensed for something that is a right rather than a privilege.

Well, it seems that in Virginia, it is perfectly legal for citizens to visibly wear arms. Unless you live in Norfolk. Norfolk holds Harborfest, and its city council–in violation of state law–passed a city ordinance banning weapons at the town event. From HamptonRoads.com:

Chet Szymecki of Yorktown was arrested in June at Harborfest for carrying a gun.

Szymecki was arrested for violating a city ordinance banning guns at Harborfest – an ordinance that officials now acknowledge violates state law. City Attorney Bernard A. Pishko said city officials were unaware of a state law prohibiting localities from banning guns.

Carrying a weapon openly is legal in Virginia, even at a large gathering such as Harborfest.

Seems pretty stright-forward, and the charges against Szymecki were dropped when they realized their error. But that’s not the end of the story. It seems that the police who arrested Szymecki were a bit overly zealous in the performance of their duties.

Szymecki, a Navy veteran, said he was manhandled and hurt and that his wife, Deborah, his three children and two other children who accompanied them were traumatized. He said he has hired Norfolk attorney Stephen Merrill.

An emotional Deborah Szymecki told the council that after several police officers were done handcuffing her husband, she was left without money or the keys to the family car.

Others rose to describe incidents in which they said they were questioned and often handcuffed by police for simply carrying a firearm openly.

The old saying is that ignorance of the law is no excuse. The same goes for municipalities. They made a huge blunder, and from this article, it seems like they keep making it by harassing law-abiding citizens who do nothing more than visibly carry a gun.

Councilman Paul R. Riddick left the meeting as gun-rights advocates began speaking, he said, in protest of their protest.

How great is that! A person who was elected by the citizens to represent them as a councilor, rather than stay and listen to an opposing viewpoint, took his toys and went home. Sounds like a real baby to me.

I like to hear about citizens who are not afraid to make a point, peacefully and legally, yet poignantly. Good for them.