Posted: 8/21/2010 10:52:14 AM EDT
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As some of you may be aware, every year Ford sponsors the "Arts Beats And Eats" Festival, this year it's going to be held in Royal Oak. Well the smarmy elitist anti-gun prick organizing it jon witz (Name deliberately left un-capitalized as a show of my deepest contempt, and disrespect for this miserable example of a proto-human waste of oxygen) made a contract with Royal Oak in which the city would ban ANY possession or carrying of ANY firearm within the "festival grounds", an area which incidentally takes place on public streets, and contains many private homes, and businesses. All caught within the "festival grounds" would be totally denied there second amendment rights Washington DC Style pre-McDonald, which also violates Michigan's Sate Constitution, and Michigan's Preemption Law. The illegal contract was challenged, and we won, however now witz has issued the following press release:
A note from the festival producer Jon Witz
.by Arts, Beats & Eats on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 5:57pm. To our festival fans and friends, I am writing in regard to a few concerns we've had from our festival patrons and fans. My name is Jon Witz and I produce Ford Arts, Beats & Eats. This is a note to you written by me from the heart and not a public relations statement, I have three young kids 6-11 (maybe not young anymore) and I live in Troy. As most of you know, it's been a policy of ours not to allow hand guns into the event for twelve years. One thing I've learned in the last couple of months is that individuals in Michigan and 43 other states actually have the rights to carry a holstered side arm in virtually everywhere they travel. This includes Oakland County Parks (which just had to change their policy) or walking into downtown Royal Oak for dinner, or at other family festivals. The City of Royal Oak and the festival recently changed their policy because they thought they would be violating the law. Nothing more. Not one of the Royal Oak commissioners thinks guns should be allowed at the festival, and they join a vast majority of our society including most gun owners. An out right lie The organization that fought for their rights to carry guns has no plans to come to the festival in any large group, and the majority of this very small group won't even be attending. It's an absolute fallacy that there will be any visible amount of weapons at the festival Oh yeah?, watch us., and I am asking you to get the word out to any friends that are considering not attending due to this unfortunate state law. By not attending you will take your frustration out on 60 charities, artists, musicians, restaurants, unique Royal Oak businesses and cultural organizations that have been a part of the festival for years. They would also be penalizing a festival that COMPLETELY AGREES WITH THEM! We are asking everyone to consider a different course of action, which will help fix the problem not penalize the hundreds of good organizations that will involved in ABE, which is to write a letter to your state senator and representative to get the law changed for next year. I will even write a sample letter for you to start and you can change and personalize it as you wish. It's very clear to me that our event was a target due to its high profile, but will not be a place that more than a few of these people with guns are actually coming to. PLEASE put your energy to fixing an archaic law that needs to be changed. Please also note that our festival, like others, has not searched people when they come in, and we've had zero incidents involving hand guns in our history. In this light, people with concealed weapons and permits could be at our event, just like they could be sitting next to you at a restaurant or in a movie theatre Spell check much?. We have a strong police and private security presence and our feeling is that we would be, as we've always been, one of the safest places to be in Metro Detroit on Labor Day Weekend. If the City and festival upheld its policy, two things would have actually happened: One, the city would have been open to many costly lawsuits, and two, the gun owners would have rallied outside the festival with a large amount of people to protest. By making this change now, we are actually reducing the number of gun owners that will be at the festival. Such a scenario could easily be a worse situation. So we're Lepers? In fact, I would be more uncomfortable with my family if there was a big issue about it from the open carry gun advocates then otherwise. It would have been a drain on police and law enforcement and put the media spotlight on the people who want to promote carrying guns. Again, since we changed our policy, it does not mean that myself, or the festival, or the City Commission of Royal Oak lacks principle or back bone. You have my word that I will be personally leading charge after the festival to amend this law by the end of the year. Thank you for your consideration and look forward to seeing everyone at Ford Arts, Beats & Eats Jon Witz Producer Emphasis in Red, and comments in Blue by me. In addition to stating his intent to go out of his way, and push for a change in state law to deny us our fundamental rights, it's clear to me that that POS witz doesn't want us there, and is hoping we don't come. He has even posted a link to his anti-gun efforts directly on the events home page. I for one will not let that bastard have his way, I feel like by not going he wins. Anti-gun assholes like witz don't want us to exercise our rights, and they don't want us there, which is precisely why I intend to go, and I encourage others to go to, just to rub there smug smarmy leftist prick faces in it. I had no intention, or desire to go to arts beats and eats before they pulled this crap, and I have never gone before, but now that I know that they don't want me there I want to go. Don't tell me I can't have something, or that you don't think I should have it, because I'll buy 10 of them, don't tell me I can't go somewhere, or you don't want me there, or don't think I should be allowed to be there, because I'll be there with bells on just to spite you, and I fully intend to spite wilks, and his anti-gun elitist prick ilk. Will you join me? You will need to have a CCW to possess a pistol in Michigan, but I'm not aware of anything stopping you from carrying a long gun. Yes carrying a long gun is legal, these pictures were taken in front of the state capital building, theres more from inside the building, but I can't find them right now: 
If we can do that we can carry AR-15s inside the State capital building with no resistance whatsoever (actually with an invite) we damn sure can carry pistols, or anything else for that matter at Arts Beats And Eats. The dates, and times are: Friday September 3rd 11:00am - 11:00pm Saturday September 4th 11:00am - 11:00pm Sunday September 5th 11:00am - 11:00pm Monday September 6th 11:00am - 9:00pm I'd really appreciate your help. 
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I applaud all the efforts in having our rights upheld and stopping this idiot from putting BS ordinances in place for the damn festival.
And just to get it out...I didn't know about this and so didn't do a damn thing to protect 2nd am. right in this case. That being said, walking around an arts festival in Royal Oak with long guns or AR's strapped to your backs is the fastest way to get enough people worked up in this area to have your victory overturned. This idiot organizer doesn't have enough clout to have any laws changed, and nobody at this festival gives enough of a shit to make this a blip on their radar.....unless they show up and see a bunch of armed men walking around, who don't want to be there anyway. Do you have a right to do this......absolutely! The people who are attending this are not the ones who tried to get the ordinance passed. While they are probably not 2nd amendment supporters, going out of your way to get in their faces to basically say fuck you and get shit stirred up is not the kind of help Michigan gun owners need. This can only be bad publicity for gun owners....what attendee is going to to see someone with a rifle at an arts fair and magically see how harmless it is and change their views? You can be damn sure that this is what will get them motivated enough to listen and support the people who would want to stop it though. The help we do need is the kind that got this shit-stain organizer's ordinance struck down in the first place. But walking around Royal Oak with rifles just because you can will only hurt our cause in the long run. |
Maybe there is another way to get a toe in the door at an arts festival.
For example, I consider rifles like these to be a work of art. There are still folks around who make these one at a time. Set up a booth with a few firearms suitable for show. Maybe even pack along an everyday shooter, stuff the barrel with small charges of black powder, elevate the barrel in a safe location, and let kids pull the trigger, boom and rolling smoke with giggles and smiles sure to follow. Heck, just walk around with one of these beautiful rifles slung over your shoulder and you are likely to draw questions and conversation and maybe even see more of them at next years festival. A gun show born at an arts festival, yeah, that's the ticket. 
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Quoted: I applaud all the efforts in having our rights upheld and stopping this idiot from putting BS ordinances in place for the damn festival. And just to get it out...I didn't know about this and so didn't do a damn thing to protect 2nd am. right in this case. That being said, walking around an arts festival in Royal Oak with long guns or AR's strapped to your backs is the fastest way to get enough people worked up in this area to have your victory overturned. This idiot organizer doesn't have enough clout to have any laws changed, and nobody at this festival gives enough of a shit to make this a blip on their radar.....unless they show up and see a bunch of armed men walking around, who don't want to be there anyway. Do you have a right to do this......absolutely! The people who are attending this are not the ones who tried to get the ordinance passed. While they are probably not 2nd amendment supporters, going out of your way to get in their faces to basically say fuck you and get shit stirred up is not the kind of help Michigan gun owners need. This can only be bad publicity for gun owners....what attendee is going to to see someone with a rifle at an arts fair and magically see how harmless it is and change their views? You can be damn sure that this is what will get them motivated enough to listen and support the people who would want to stop it though. The help we do need is the kind that got this shit-stain organizer's ordinance struck down in the first place. But walking around Royal Oak with rifles just because you can will only hurt our cause in the long run. I agree with the sentiments above. Maybe having a separate rally of your own in that same community would be a less aggressive way of showing people who live there what OC is all about, and that it is something that is not threatening or dangerous. Most people tend to shy away from those who they see "radicals" on both sides of issues, and I'm concerned that you and yours would be seen as just that by most of the festival-goers. I think that at best this means that they would just ignore you and your message, at worst it could cast OC (and firearms in general) as something to be feared and as a problem that needs to be solved in their minds. |
| theatre is correct spelling. its an olde(haha) way of spelling but is correct. i agree with several of the posters above. just because you can tell an old lady to F-off doesnt mean you should! there are alot of people that dont understand because of the way they were raised. all you are gonna do is further their opinions as they watch you carry an "assault" rifle around in the open. the only way is to educate! people fear what they dont understand!!! |