Gunmen, Some In Masks, Swarm KY Capitol For 2nd Amendment Rally
FRANKFORT, KY - JANUARY 31: A gun rights activist carrying a semi-automatic firearm stands in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gat...FRANKFORT, KY - JANUARY 31: A gun rights activist carrying a semi-automatic firearm stands in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)MORE LESS
Gun owners from around Kentucky showed up armed at the state’s Capitol building in Frankfort on Friday, rallying for gun rights and protesting a proposed “red flag” law and other potential gun limits in the state.
The group “We Are KY Gun Owners” organized the rally, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported, and the event featured speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) as well as Dick Heller, the plaintiff in the case over the Washington, D.C. gun ban, District of Columbia v. Heller, that the Supreme Court eventually decided in Heller’s favor.
Weirdest thing about guns in the Kentucky Capitol: if you have one, you’re told to walk around the metal detector. Others must pass through and get wanded. pic.twitter.com/Oqxl9hvl0I
Previous gun rallies at the state’s Capitol building exposed a gun-friendly loophole in the Capitol’s rules, the Courier-Journal observed: Umbrellas and sticks are banned, but not rifles.
The photographer Bryan Woolston was on-hand for the event. See his photos for Getty, below:
FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Gun rights activists carrying semi-automatic firearms sign the visitors log in Governor Andy Beshears Office at the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Gun rights activists carrying semi-automatic firearms pose for a photograph in the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Gun rights activists carrying semi-automatic firearms stand in the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: A gun rights activist carrying a semi-automatic firearm stands in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Gun rights activists carrying semi-automatic firearms walk through the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Gun rights activists carrying semi-automatic firearms stand in the rotunda of the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Gun rights activist Cory Buckholtz holds a semi-automatic rifle while standing in the rotunda of the Capitol Building on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Rep Thomas Massie (R-KY) draws a Ruger LCP handgun from his pocket during a rally in support of the Second Amendment on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Marcus Olmstead stands below a statue of President Abraham Lincoln in the rotunda of the State Capitol carrying a semi-automatic firearm on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Open carry of loaded firearms is permitted throughout the Capitol, except in the chambers of the Supreme Court. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Marcus Olmstead stands below a statue of President Abraham Lincoln in the rotunda of the State Capitol carrying a semi-automatic firearm on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Open carry of loaded firearms is permitted throughout the Capitol, except in the chambers of the Supreme Court. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Marcus Olmstead stands in the rotunda of the State Capitol carrying a semi-automatic firearm on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Open carry of loaded firearms is permitted throughout the Capitol, except in the chambers of the Supreme Court. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Calvin Pinkston, 61, of Louisville, Ky., walks in the rotunda of the State Capitol carrying a semi-autoimaric rifle on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Open carry of loaded firearms is permitted throughout the Capitol, except in the chambers of the Supreme Court. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Calvin Pinkston, 61, of Louisville, Ky., stands in the rotunda of the State Capitol holding a semi-autoimaric rifle on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Open carry of loaded firearms is permitted throughout the Capitol, except in the chambers of the Supreme Court. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Calvin Pinkston, 61, of Louisville, Ky., stands in the rotunda of the State Capitol holding a semi-autoimaric rifle on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Open carry of loaded firearms is permitted throughout the Capitol, except in the chambers of the Supreme Court. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Calvin Pinkston, 61, of Louisville, Ky., speaks with state legislatures in the rotunda of the State Capitol while carrying a semi-autoimaric rifle on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Open carry of loaded firearms is permitted throughout the Capitol, except in the chambers of the Supreme Court. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Calvin Pinkston, 61, of Louisville, Ky., stands in the rotunda of the State Capitol carrying a semi-autoimaric rifle on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Open carry of loaded firearms is permitted throughout the Capitol, except in the chambers of the Supreme Court. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: Supporters of the Second Amendment carry semi-automatic rifles at the State Capitol during a rally on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)FRANKFORT, KY – JANUARY 31: A supporter of the Second Amendment carries a semi-automatic rifle during a rally in support of the Second Amendment at the State Capitol on January 31, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Advocates from across the state gathered at the Kentucky Capitol in support of the Second Amendment. The rally will include speeches from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former Washington, D.C. Special Police Officer, Dick Heller. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)
