Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Then-Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul and his wife Kelley Ashby walk outside the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland before an August debate.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Andrew Harnik, AP)
Donald Trump says he wants to study a petition that calls for allowing the open carry of guns at the Republican convention this July in Cleveland.
While proclaiming himself "a very, very strong person for Second Amendment," the Republican front-runner<span style="color: Red;">*</span>told ABC's This Week<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that "I have not seen the petition.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>I want to see what it says.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>I want to read the fine print."
Posted on the website change.org, the petition of unknown origin notes that "though Ohio is an open carry state, which allows for the open carry of guns, the hosting venue --<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Quicken Loans Arena --<span style="color: Red;">*</span>strictly forbids the carry of firearms on their premises."<span style="color: Red;">*</span>That "is a direct affront to the Second Amendment and puts all attendees at risk," said the petition that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>has more than 35,000 signers as of Sunday.
The other Republican presidential candidates -- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- have not commented on the open carry<span style="color: Red;">*</span>petition.
The name of the group purportedly behind the effort<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— Americans for Responsible Open Carry<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>does not appear anywhere else online and accepts online message only from networked supporters,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Akron Beacon Journal<span style="color: Red;">*</span>reported.
According to the website cnet on Sunday, the petition may have been started by a group as satire.
"A blog called Hyperationalist<span style="color: Red;">*</span>has claimed responsibility.The Ohio Republican Party said it was not aware of the petition, the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Journal<span style="color: Red;">*</span>reported, nor was the host committee overseeing the convention, although it noted that the Secret Service, in conjunction with Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>state and federal authorities, is handling security for the event.
He or she writes: "It just doesn't seem right that thousands of patriotic Republican good guys should be left totally unprotected by whatever bad guys might wish to do them harm. I mean forgodsake people, ISIS could show up to take out everybody in and around that building and they'd be sitting ducks. Sitting ducks, I tell you! There might even be a bad egg or two among the delegates."
Hyperationalist didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
However, his or her<span style="color: Red;">*</span>tweets since 2011<span style="color: Red;">*</span>suggest that he's not exactly of the Republican cause.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>For example: "Win-win for the Trump people at last night's rally: a protester got beat up and a black guy got arrested. This was accompanied with the #NeverTrump hashtag."
“They are coordinating and will be continuously refining security plans leading up to the national convention,” said Alee Lockman, a spokesperson for the Republican National Convention, the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Journal<span style="color: Red;">*</span>says.
In 2012, firearms<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were banned by the Secret Service at the Republican convention in Tampa.
Contributing: Doug Stanglin
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