The State GOP has banned guns from their State Convention

[TheQ]

The Michigan Republicans party Sgt. at arms has told people who were lawfully openly carrying holstered handguns to leave the party's state convention today or leave their guns in the car.

In fact, we've learned that they are prohibiting concealed carry at the state convention as well.

Video of the entire incident:

http://qik.com/video/57404719

Here's how it went down: Tony DeMott (The State Coordinator for Michigan Campaign for Liberty) left the convention hall to have a smoke outside.  On the way out he ran into a security guard in the main hallway.  The security guard told him he would have to disarm to come back in.  Tony said, "wait one moment" and called me -- I was still inside.

I came out to the situation, camera rolling.  What happens next is above.


The State GOP has declared itself a PFZ.

[CV67PAT]

And this somehow surprises you???

[CV67PAT]

Just confirmed that this is not the case at the Democrat convention.

Interesting.

[TheQ]

Video of the entire incident:

http://qik.com/video/57404719

Here's how it went down: Tony DeMott (The State Coordinator for Michigan Campaign for Liberty) left the convention hall to have a smoke outside.  On the way out he ran into a security guard in the main hallway.  The security guard told him he would have to disarm to come back in.  Tony said, "wait one moment" and called me -- I was still inside.

I came out to the situation, camera rolling.  What happens next is above.

[gryphon]

The State GOP has declared itself a PFZ.

The GOP dude said it was the center's policy, not the Republicans'. If the center is preempted, the Republicans should have no issues with OCing there.  That's messed up that they were blaming each other.

[bigt8261]

No matter what is going on, that GOP guy needs to realize he is representing his party. Poor target identification leads to friendly fire.

[abrknight]

You can tell with how he answered, the GOP/Sgt. at Arms was prepared to answer this question...no doubt this was their decision whether they stated it explicitly to the center, or just made their intention known. Either way this guy is a cartoon character, the epitome of a modern day sideways talking politician. It's pitiful, yet totally unsurprising.

[Seasick007]

MY favorite part, when he calls you dishonest. My reaction was classic, I looked at my wife, looked back. He said it again, I looked at my wife again and started laughing. Seriously, a politician calling someone dishonest....hahahahahaha.

[detroit_fan]

MCRGO is posting on facebook that the Democratic Convention allowed both OC and CC at Cobo..

[Raggs]

Well Cobo IS in Detroit

MCRGO is posting on facebook that the Democratic Convention allowed both OC and CC at Cobo..

[TheQ]

There has been dialog, both publicly and privately on the matter.

Bobby Schostak has issued this public statement:

Sorry I haven’t had a chance to reply sooner. Already busy at work preparing for 2014! I won’t go into motives, I think they’re pretty evident but here are the facts regarding the recent dispute about the open-carry issue at the Michigan Republican Party Convention on Saturday. The Lansing Center has a policy that does not allow open carry or CCW on their premises. We entered into a contract with the Lansing Center. On Saturday, when it was brought to our attention, we disagreed with the policy, but our contract requires we adhere to their policies. Cheap political attacks on Carl Berry are ridiculous, he’s a long time Republican, grassroots activists, and he volunteered to serve as Sergeant-at-Arms. The security guard in the video was wrong, it was not our policy. I look forward to continuing to build and strengthen our party, and that requires us to positively engage with one another, but I will not tolerate unnecessary and untruthful political attacks whether they come from the Democratic Party or a member of our party. There’s too much at stake in 2014, let’s stay focused and work together. Thanks for all the support and positive feedback!

I have issued this statement in response:

Mr. Schostak. I think you for addressing this issue that is very important to our party, our base, and our grassroots -- the right to Keep and Bear Arms!!

CADL v. Michigan Open Carry, Inc. (MI Court of Appeals, 2012) (I am the president of MOC) found that the State Legislature intended to occupy the field to the exclusion of all other local government regulation -- including regulation of "Authorities" such as LEPFA (the owner of the Lansing Center).

Given this, the Lansing Center's policy is preempted and unlawful. When we asked Mr. Berry if we had to put our guns in the car, he said yes (clearly seen on the video). Given that the Lansing Center's security guard had told us his request that we put our guns in the car came from the GOP Sgt. At Arms, you can understand why we were a bit concerned and wanted confirmation on this point.

Today I had the pleasure to speak to Mr. Matt Frendewey about this matter. He and I came to the agreement that going forward MOC will work with MiGOP as you select your convention locations. If the location is an "authority" or other local government, we will be happy to work with you to get hat venue to see the error in the way of their policy so we can handle these issues preemptively rather than reactively and in a way that creates confusion and division.

I hope Mr. Frendewey was correct and sincere in stating your leadership team would like to work together to prevent these problems in the future. If you are sincerely interested in preventing this unfortunate confusion in the future, I hope you will reach out to me -- PHofmeister@miopencarry.org.

Kind Regards,

Phillip Hofmeister
President
Michigan Open Carry, Inc

PS, you may be able to do a lot to show gun owners in Michigan that you and MiGOP support the right to keep and bear by writing a letter of support regarding SB 213. I'm sure Sen. Mike Green's office would love to work with you on that letter.

PSS. I am/was a Todd Courser backer, but let's not allow that to cloud the issue. If you tell me you're open to working on this matter, I will believe that until you show me otherwise.

[detroit_fan]

Bobby Schostak comes off as very confrontational Q, but it sounds like Matt Frendewey is saying the rights things. I would not say that alerting the public to what they did is a "cheap political attack" or "unnecessary and untruthful". it was truthful, so why would he try to deny it? I have to wonder why so much animosity from Mr. Schostak?

[TheQ]

Bobby Schostak comes off as very confrontational Q, but it sounds like Matt Frendewey is saying the rights things. I would not say that alerting the public to what they did is a "cheap political attack" or "unnecessary and untruthful". it was truthful, so why would he try to deny it? I have to wonder why so much animosity from Mr. Schostak?

It may have something to do with the letter I dispatched Sunday morning...

http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=710075bba75b914b805e1861a&id=f154c83f5c

[bigt8261]

I agree with detroit_fan. No cheap political attack and nothing unnecessary or untruthful. I sensed the animosity too.

Schostak's response only made me more skeptical of the GOP and I'm not the only one. It's things like this that underscores why I donate to individual candidates and not parties.

[TheQ]

Brian Jeffs and I reviewed the contract at LEPFA HQ. The contract proper had no mention of guns. We reviewed various addendum to the contract that mentioned security, additional security (none of those clauses mentioned guns), and sticking adhesives to the walls -- but nothing about guns.

When we asked for a written copy of the gun policy, we got dumb looks. The LEPFA staffer said there is one (a policy) but didn't know where it was written down.

Brian has FOIA'd for a copy of the policy that was in writing at the time of the incident. More to come on that.


LEPFA's lawyer, Eric Doster, is also the MI GOP's "General Council" (that is, their lawyer). Eric Doster (who I talked to at the time under the understanding he was LEPFA's lawyer alone -- didn't know he was the GOP's lawyer until later in the week) is the first person from LEPFA to confirm there was a policy.

[CV67PAT]

Don't you just love how they all stand in a circle and point the blame to the guy to their right?

[TheQ]

We've received a reply to the FOIA.  I'll be talking about that more in a few days.

[TheQ]

Don't you just love how they all stand in a circle and point the blame to the guy to their right?

In the case of LEPFA and MiGOP -- they're lawyer is the same person -- so he's pointing the finger at himself.

[METL]

In the case of LEPFA and MiGOP -- they're lawyer is the same person -- so he's pointing the finger at himself.

Unbelievable...   

[bigt8261]

If that circular firing squad shrinks anymore, it's going to reach critical mass.

[METL]

Ya, seems like stuff like this should cause some sort of worm hole or stitch in time...    lol

[bigt8261]

[Raggs]

Phil are you sure it was about the gun and not about the way you were dressed?

[TheQ]

Phil are you sure it was about the gun and not about the way you were dressed?

Dress shirt, tie, and dress pants hardly seems objectionable given that's what everyone else wore. The security guard on the video makes it clear, it's about the gun.