Ohio’s open-carry laws cause fiery Convention issue; here’s what Team Trump says

As Republicans gather in Cleveland, Ohio, for their Republican National Committee convention to nominate a presidential candidate, some are worried that the state’s open carry firearm law could cause trouble for convention security inside and outside the arena. But the Donald Trump campaign doesn’t seem overly worried.

As the doors to the convention were about to be opened on Monday the head of Cleveland’s police union called for an “emergency suspension” of the state’s open carry law insisting that if Ohioans were allowed to indulge their right to openly carry a firearm in and around the convention it would make keeping security very difficult for police.

“We are sending a letter to Gov. Kasich requesting assistance from him. He could very easily do some kind of executive order or something — I don’t care if it’s constitutional or not at this point,” Stephen Loomis, president of Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, told CNN. “They can fight about it after the RNC or they can lift it after the RNC, but I want him to absolutely outlaw open-carry in Cuyahoga County until this RNC is over.”

For his part, Governor John Kasich, himself a former GOP presidential candidate, noted that he didn’t have the power to make such a sweeping decision all on his own and could not suspend his citizens’ rights out of hand.

“Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested,” Kasich said in response to the union chief’s letter.

Oddly, toy water guns and even tennis balls have already been banned inside the convention center, but if the state law were to be properly followed, real guns could not be banned.

As to the Trump campaign, it doesn’t appear they are too worried about the prospect of armed citizens at the convention.

The far left website Think Progress asked Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson about the matter, and she simply told them, “I am recommending that people follow the law.”

Some open carry protesters have already made their opinions known in Cleveland. Over the weekend former Marine Steve Thacker was interviewed as he walked the streets wearing a semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. Another open carry enthusiast, Jason Collins, told reporters he carried his firearm to protect his young son.

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