Protesters display firearms at Obama events

PHOENIX - About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Obama was giving a speech yesterday - the latest incident in which protesters openly displayed firearms near the president.

Gun-rights advocates say they are exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Phoenix police said the gun-toters at yesterday's event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle slung over his shoulder, did not need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested.

The man with the rifle declined to be identified but told the Arizona Republic that he was carrying the assault weapon because he could. "In Arizona, I still have some freedoms," he said.

Phoenix Police Detective J. Oliver said his team was monitoring the man at the protest. "Just by his presence and people seeing the rifle and people knowing the president was in town, it sparked a lot of emotions," he said. "We were keeping peace on both ends."

Last week, during Obama's health-care town hall in Portsmouth, N.H., a man carrying a sign reading "It is time to water the tree of liberty" stood outside with a pistol strapped to his leg. "It's a political statement," he told the Boston Globe. "If you don't use your rights, then you lose your rights."

Police asked the man to move away from school property, but he was not arrested.

Fred Solop, a Northern Arizona University political scientist, said the incidents could signal the beginning of a disturbing trend. "When you start to bring guns to political rallies, it does layer on another level of concern and significance," he said. "It actually becomes quite scary for many people. It creates a chilling effect in the ability of our society to carry on honest communication."

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said armed demonstrators in open-carry states such as Arizona and New Hampshire had little impact on security plans. "The main thing to know is that they would not have been allowed inside with a weapon," he said.