The protester carrying an AR-15 rifle outside President Barack Obama's speech in Phoenix on Monday staged the "publicity stunt" with the help of two local Libertarian groups that have worked with the man on Ron Paul's presidential campaign.
Before attending a pro-Obama health-care reform rally outside the Phoenix Convention Center, the man only known as "Chris" rendezvoused with members of RP4409 and Freedom's Phoenix at the latter group's Phoenix radio and TV studios. That's according to Freedom's Phoenix Publisher Ernest Hancock, who is credited with coining and designing the logo for the "Ron Paul r3VOLution..."
"We will forcefully resist people imposing their will on us through the strength of the majority with a vote," Chris later tells an Obama supporter in the video. "Just because you sic the government on people doesn't make it morally OK to steal money from people. Taxation is theft."
Chris declined Monday to provide any personal information about himself. But Hancock, who had Chris on his online radio show this morning, said the young man is a Valley resident, an independent conservative and a member of the John Birch Society.
Chris' firearms display (he also was carrying a 9mm pistol on his hip) drew national media attention, including stories from CNN, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. But openly carrying firearms in public is legal in Arizona.
"He had no intention of doing anything except educating law enforcement that you can do this. He had no intention of getting the kind of attention he got," said Hancock, who was among the dozen demonstrators openly carrying firearms at the rally and protest.
"He represents a growing demographic of his age bracket that understands that they are the ones who will saddled with enormous debt and expense for the benefit of other generations who will not be around to pay for it," added Hancock, who unsuccessfully has run as a Libertarian for U.S. Senate, Congress, secretary of state and most recently in 2008, Maricopa County recorder.
"It's all about taking from an entire generation everything that they have..."
Hancock also said the gun display was planned well in advance of Monday's protest. Hancock personally met with a Phoenix police officer on Friday, informing him that his group planned to bring firearms to the event.
Sanchez suggested many people would see it as a "publicity stunt."
Responded Hancock: "Absolutely -- you guys are so easy. What we wanted to do was make sure that people around the country knew that law enforcement in Phoenix, Arizona, protects our rights. Oftentimes, the citizenry are better armed than law enforcement."
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