UT: Gay gun enthusiast ejected from Pride Festival

[bubba23]

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-4623.html

Gay gun enthusiast ejected from Pride

Nelson's ejection and consequent complaint have received the attention of Second Amendment advocates.

13th June 2007 11:40
PinkNews.co.uk writer

Pro-gun activist David Nelson was ejected from last week's Utah Pride festival by its organisers, security and law-enforcement officers for possessing an unconcealed firearm.

Nelson, who owns the gay group Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah, has filed a complaint with city Police Chief Chris Burbank against Lt. Rusty Isakson for what Nelson described as "grossly and specifically violative of state weapons laws."

In the complaint, Nelson described how he arrived at the festival, purchased an admission ticket and entered the event before he was detained, questioned and ejected.

"As a state Concealed Firearm Permit holder, I possessed and carried my firearm unconcealed, but holstered, at the event," Nelson said.

"I never unholstered it or displayed in a threatening way. In fact, my firearm was unloaded according to state laws (no chambered cartridge). I carefully reviewed the advance published event rules; they didn't prohibit my possession or unconcealed carrying.

"After I presented my ticket to a main-gate staffer and entered the event, security staffers and organisers met me and asked about my possession and unconcealed carrying," Nelson said.

"I answered their questions simply and truthfully. As a Utahn with disabilities who uses a cane, my possession and unconcealed carrying is as much a visual deterrent of violence as it is a more responsive and reliable mode of carrying if I need it."

Utah state laws prohibit "a local authority” [from enforcing] any ordinance, regulation, rule, or policy pertaining to firearms that in any way inhibits or restricts the possession or use of firearms on either public or private property."

Despite this, Isakson wrote a police report about the matter. Nelson said Isakson told him that he'd send an unsolicited copy of the report to the state Bureau of Criminal Identification for their review, and that "one sure way to lose your permit is to abuse it like this."

"His implication seemed clear to me: He was intentionally jeopardising my permit," Nelson said.

"He then asked me 'to leave' the event property. It was the first such request of me by anyone involved in the matter, and I left immediately."

Nelson's ejection and consequent complaint have received the attention of Second Amendment advocates in the state including those who are lawyers and legislators.

They've encouraged him to take his complaint further by pursuing court charges against the city, its police department and others who were allegedly responsible for violating his legal rights.

"My complaint to Chief Burbank is only the first step," Nelson said. "I'll pursue appropriate solutions of my complaints against the event organisers and their security staff regardless of any solution with the chief."

[Joe Smith]

Damn I hope he sues them.

[dmg1969]

Good for him. If he was abiding by all state (and local, if applicable) laws, he should go after them with everything he can. Hopefully he can sue for damages to prevent future episodes of denial of his constitutional right.

[Emptymag]

Originally Posted by Joe Smith

Damn I hope he sues them.

I was going to say, I hope he sues the pants off of them, but someone may be offended... too late. Relax, laugh a little!

Seriously though, I hope he wins a boatload of money from this! Looks like another case of the "authorities" writing the law as they would like to see it.
This is exactly why many of us hesitate to OC and it's exactly why I hope he sues them to the point that other LEO's think twice about distorting the law to suit their own views. Money talks... the fear of losing boatloads of money talks even louder.

[LorDiego01]

Utah state laws prohibit "a local authority” [from enforcing] any ordinance, regulation, rule, or policy pertaining to firearms that in any way inhibits or restricts the possession or use of firearms on either public or private property."

Am I understanding this right? As a private property owner, you cannot ban firearms from your private property in Utah??

[thirtyonebravo]

Originally Posted by bubba23

I never unholstered it or displayed in a threatening way. In fact, my firearm was unloaded according to state laws (no chambered cartridge)

what do they do with wheel guns? load 5 of 6 chambers?

[reels18]

Originally Posted by LorDiego01

Am I understanding this right? As a private property owner, you cannot ban firearms from your private property in Utah??

I hope it means that the local authorities can not stop you from carrying on your own property.

[DeltaII5]

Originally Posted by LorDiego01

Am I understanding this right? As a private property owner, you cannot ban firearms from your private property in Utah??

You are correct

Utah passed a law awhile ago about this. They highlighted it several times after the VT shooting because in Utah the state law overrides all private property owners, so students can carry on campus by law.

[GunLawyer001]

This is what happens when a social and political agenda supercedes common sense.

The same people who demand special rights for gay victims, black victims, female victims or other "hate crime" targets, are the same people who refuse to consider the benefits of arming the targets.

Either gays are special targets of frequent physical assault who need special "hate crime" laws to protect them, or they are attacked no more often than anyone else. If the former is true, then common sense should tell them to fight back, to warn off potential assailants. If the latter is true, then they should shut up and take their chances with the other sheep.

I find it incomprehensible that Jews, for example, failed to learn from the concentration camps and the Warsaw ghetto. Victims without guns get dead fast, while the same people with guns aren't victims at all. Six million unarmed Jews were herded onto cattle cars and gassed without a fight, during a time that is within living memory, yet liberal New York Jews overwhelmingly support disarming the public and vesting all force in the government. Whatever happened to "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice..."?