Welcome.
There are no stupid questions.
At these public gatherings we strive to be respectful and responsible citizens who practice good firearm safety. We leave the place cleaner than we found it.
1. I do not currently have a CPL. Therefor I assume I must transport the weapon unloaded in the trunk of my car till I arrive at the meeting point of the march. Will I then be able to load the weapon and holster it?
2. Same for the return trip. Do I unload the weapon and store it in the trunk before leaving for home?
Without a CPL you must be very careful. You may not posess a firearm in the passenger compartment of a car. You may remove it from the trunk then load and holster it, then reverse the process. It is very easy to do something wrong, and if you get caught can lose some or all of your firearms rights.
To open carry you will want a retention holster, something with a strap, snap, catch, etc. that prevents a malicious person from taking your gun.
3. I am actually a shy person so im not one to walk up to anyone and introduce myself or carry on a conversation with a stranger. Is this the type of event where we just walk, stand, and observe or do we take the time to talk about the cause, talk about guns, holsters, or other carry and gun related topics? In other words will we also be "shooting the breeze" with each other?
We talk about all kinds of things from our guns, to the weather, to sports, etc.
4. Can I photograph, or shoot video for the purpose of posting such on Youtube? I have my own Youtube account with a tad less than 100 subscribers and would like to post my experiences during my first event.
You may photograph or audio record or video record any public place in Michigan. If you are a party to a conversation, you can record it witout consent of any others involved.
5. I am researching, but still mostly unaware of the details to the laws pertaining to open carry. I do not want to get myself in a situation where I am asked about open carry and not know the answers or am confronted by law enforcement and asked to do things such as identify myself. During this march will I be subject to any of these situations and if so will others be willing to help me with those such situations?
The capitol police will be watching for trouble, but know we aren't the problem. If you don't do anything illegal, you won't have a problem. They know that we are there expressing our rights, and that we are very appreciative of their jobs and support them. I chat with them a bit if it is before things get started, and thank them for what they do, etc.
Review the beginners information. I still refer to it to clarify some things.
6. What is generally done at these counter marches? Do I just walk and stand still? Do I wave my arms? Do I look at the ground? I am just unsure at this point.
From my perspective, I try to engage people in conversation and be respectful. I stick to the facts and don't get sucked in by their ad hominems and other irrelevant statements. I try to correct where I can, etc.
7. How long do such events typically last?
From start to finish usually 2-4 hours, but they vary depending upon attendance, scheduled speakers, etc.
It's ok to be shy and not be a talker. Just your presence at these rallies says a lot.
If things work out, I plan to be there.
