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GRNC
Alert:
10-20-05 |
Grass Roots North
Carolina
Forum for Firearms Education
P.O. Box 10684, Raleigh, NC 27605
(919) 664-8565, http://www.grnc.org
GRNC Alert Hotline: (919) 562-4137
hotline@grnc.org |
Charlotte Police Chief Misleads On Open Carry
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GRNC has
been keeping you apprised of a developing situation in
Charlotte in which the police chief is attempting to
coerce the city council to pass an ordinance baring
open carry in the city. On Oct. 10th they sent the
motion back to the City Manager for 3 to 4 weeks of
further study, likely designed to avoid a
controversial issue until after the election.
HOW MAY COMPLAINTS? ZERO!
Supposedly, the call arose out of four 911 calls from
concerned citizens regarding people carrying holstered
handguns in plain view in the uptown area. On
Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Charlotte Observer made a
startling revelation; THERE WERE NO SUCH CALLS. No
citizens were upset; these were internal police calls,
not 911 calls.
Police spokesman Keith Bridges said, "There were no
other citizens. There were no 911 calls. That was a
misspeak because of misinformation."
City Council member John Tabor feels that the chief
should have checked his facts more closely. He is
quoted as saying, "When the chief comes to us with
something as controversial as that, he sure as hell
should have his facts right."
If GRNC and the Charlotte Observer had not pressed the
matter, there is little doubt that the
"misinformation" would have remained conveniently
misspoken. There are two main possibilities here, did
Police Chief DARREL STEPHENS deliberately "misspeak"
(it seems that there is a 3-letter word for
deliberately misspeaking) or was he just plain sloppy.
Of course there is a third possibility; perhaps Chief
Stephens is so driven by the opportunity to push an
anti-gun agenda that he didn't care enough about the
truth to get his facts straight before reporting the
version most likely to accomplish his goal. Whatever
the case, it raises serious questions about Chief
Stephens's ethics and/or competence.
GRNC President Paul Valone had this to say when asked
by the Observer, "Although (we are) accustomed to
bureaucrats trying to undermine the right to
self-protection, the audacity of lying to the City
Council in order to create the perception of a problem
when none exists stuns even us."
As stated before, no problems arose from the four
incidents cited. The Observer reported Bridges as
saying, "All four men were legally carrying guns and
did not have any outstanding warrants." In two of the
cases, he stated, that the men even placated the
concerned officers by locking the weapons in question
in their cars, despite the fact that they were not
violating any laws.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
- Contact Charlotte City Council about your concerns.
- Use our auto-emailer to contact the members of the
Charlotte City Council:
http://www.grnc.org/alerts/email10_9_05a.htm
Alternate (mostly for AOL users)
http://www.grnc.org/alerts/email10_9_05b.htm
Dear [Council Member]:
I was greatly disturbed by the reports in Wednesday's
Charlotte Observer concerning Chief Darrel Stephens's
misleading statements to the City Council. It seems
that in his zeal to pass an anti-gun ordinance, the
chief did not concern himself with getting his facts
straight before charging forward with a plan to
restrict the rights of the citizens.
We now know that there were NO calls concerning open
carry on Charlotte streets. Rather there were simply
four discussions between Charlotte police officers and
citizens that they encountered during their patrols;
citizens who were not breaking any laws.
As admitted by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police attorney
Mark Newbold, there is no problem arising from "open
display" by law ordinary citizens. There is no need
for a tool that will be used to harass the honest
citizens who simply wish to keep themselves safe. With
violent crime increasing in Charlotte, the Charlotte
City Council should drop this folly and focus their
energies elsewhere.
I strongly oppose any further action on this measure
and will be watching this very closely via Grass Roots
North Carolina alerts. If this blatant disregard for
the truth is standard for Chief Stephens, perhaps the
City Council should inquire as to what else he may
have "misstated."
Sincerely,
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CITY CONTACTS
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Mayor Patrick McCrory (R)
mayor@ci.charlotte.nc.us
http://patmccrory.com/
1412-B East Boulevard, Suite 167
Charlotte, NC 28203
704-307-1244
Mayor Pro Tem Patrick De`Angelo Cannon
E-Mail:
TryCannon@aol.com
Address: 15972 Cumnor Lane, Charlotte, NC 28277-2062
Phone: 704-890-1835
Fax: 704-527-2704
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Copyright © 2003 Grass Roots
North Carolina P.O. 10684, Raleigh, NC 27605
Non-commercial reproduction and
distribution is permitted so long as this statement is included. All other
uses prohibited.
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