Juneau Day of Resistance 2/23

Or...
There were a bunch of kooks with guns (and no one got shot or hurt)!

That was how I'd almost sarcastically titled this post. I'd found out about the Day of Resistance rally at the Capitol back on Thursday, when someone passed along a heads-up about the event with a statement from someone else that essentially said that there would be people carrying assault weapons in front of the Capitol and all it would take is one wacko to set it all off. Naturally, I had to go check it all out and give at least a quick report.


I wasn't carrying but, in hindsight, maybe I wish I was.

I'll be honest that I'm not really a big fan of open-carry at events such as this. I've always felt that it only provides ammo for an already hostile media to keep trying to portray us exactly as wackos; however, I'm seriously re-thinking my stance on this. As my dad related to me in a phone conversation after I'd got back, we can't do anything without them portraying us as such, anyhow, so might as well be proud of who we are (this, from the man who years back passed on membership to a respectable Cape Cod gun club because they required NRA membership).

Something else that was continually said by the speakers and attendees of the half-hour gathering was the reaffirmation that there were so many visible with their guns and not a single person in any near proximity ever felt endangered.

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As you can see from the first photo, this was a typical winter's day for Southeast Alaska (sideways blowing sleet and 27-degree windchill).

There were maybe 30-35 hardy souls gathered when I first got there.

The weather conditions certainly gave meaning to "cold, dead fingers."

At the peak of the rally,  I counted approximately 50-plus people, about half of them women.

Along with about 10 children that I counted at various points in the crowd.

Among the attendees and speakers were State Senators John Coghill (speaking) and Fred Dyson (standing to the left). Senator Dyson read the text to Senate Joint Resolution Number 6.

Also speaking were State Senators Lesil McGuire (above, with organizer Thom Buzard) and Pete Kelly (not pictured).

The cold crowd may have been small, but it was certainly noticeable...

I found it really interesting that the car in this photo has a "Do No Harm" and an "Obama/Biden" bumper sticker.

I'll quickly conclude with something that organizer Thom Buzard said:

I'm tired of being quiet. I'm tired of being afraid.

As always:

Be Seen. Be Heard. And, Stand Firm.