The Scoop Dallas News – by Matthew Watkins
About a dozen people carrying rifles protested in Dallas Saturday morning at the sight of one of the most infamous gun crimes in United States history.
The crowd carried AR-15s, old military rifles and one Texas flag with the “Don’t tread on me” slogan at Dealey Plaza, where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 50 years ago . They said they were there to peacefully show that carrying firearms is legal in Texas and that the people who do it aren’t dangerous.
“We are law abiding citizens exercising our rights,” said Brad McClain, one of the organizers of the event.
McClain said he understood the significance of the site where they were protesting, but said they mostly picked the location because it was high-profile.
“It’s visible, it’s historical and the landscape is perfect for photo ops,” he said.
McClain said they planned to march from the plaza to the West End district. The event was organized to coincide with another rally at the Alamo in San Antonio, where organizers expected 1,000 people to show up.
The turnout in Dallas was paltry compared to that. The number of media and regular tourists at the site easily outnumbered the marchers. And many passersby seemed to misunderstand the purpose of the rally, thinking it was a group of conspiracy theorists. One person screamed “I shot him,” from his car as he drove by.
McClain said the turnout was low because many of the leading gun rights activists in the area went to the San Antonio event. But spirits were high. Attendees slung their weapons over their backs and talked and joked among each other. They even let a young group of tourists pose for pictures with their weapons.
“These are good people out here that carry,” said one attendee, Fort Worth resident David White.
The protest lasted for about 45 minutes. Then, the group gathered, said a prayer and walked with their weapons to Chipotle for some lunch.