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Oatka
April 13, 2000, 02:10 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/news/shot041300a.htm

Hundreds protest at gun-rights rally
By Patricia Callahan and J. Sebastian Sinisi
Denver Post Staff Writers

April 13 - As thousands filed out of a gun-control event led by President Clinton on Wednesday morning, a gun-rights activist tossed a pamphlet to a high school student attending the Downtown rally.

The girl wiped her behind with it and threw it over her shoulder at more than 200 protesters chanting, "Guns Save Lives."

The clashing gun-rights advocates and opponents illustrated the dramatic debate over gun laws in the state at a time when Clinton said "the country is looking very closely at Colorado."

Hours later, in front of the state Capitol's west steps, a 9-month-old boy in camouflage overalls chewed on his baby seat, oblivious that he was the focal point of a separate, 120-person gun-rights rally. Two signs leaned on his baby seat: "Let my parents protect me" and "Mommy doesn't call 911."

Protests around Denver on Wednesday contrasted sharply with the pep-rally spirit inside the Colorado Convention Center, where Clinton pledged support for a proposed state ballot initiative that would mandate background checks for people buying guns at gun shows. Some 220 gun-rights supporters made sheep noises and heckled the invitation-only crowd of 3,000 gun-control supporters as they filed out of the convention center.

Despite the shouting, the protest remained peaceful. Police said they made no arrests.
"If you really want to cut crime, you have to arm everybody!" Larimer County resident Steve Zeigenhagen shouted at students.

Justin Segall, a 16-year-old junior at Denver's East High School, snapped back, "So I guess that means we should just have everybody shooting everybody." Separated from the protesters by a metal barricade, about 40 teens who attended the gun-control rally inside stared down the protesters.

"You don't have a right to kill someone," 16-year-old South High School student Andrew Harrison yelled at a man wearing a "Gun Control Kills Kids" sticker.

"You're calling me a communist because you're a Nazi." Another protester, Jim Lechman, 36, of Greeley, tossed a pamphlet at students titled "Citizen Rule Book." It contained a copy of the Constitution, Lechman said.

"You don't see how you're being used," Lechman hollered to the students. "That's the kind of garbage they learn going in there to listen to that Communist Clinton."
Nearby, Bob Glass, a 44-year-old who runs a Longmont gun shop, wore a Bill Clinton mask and groused that he was not allowed into the convention center to see the president. To round out his Clinton caricature, Glass sported a pinstripe suit coat with a magenta bra hanging out of the lapel pocket.

Glass co-founded the Coloradobased gun group called the Tyranny Response Team because he said he felt the National Rifle Association wasn't going far enough to prevent changes in gun laws. Dozens of protesters wore Tyranny Response Team T-shirts.

"The NRA has failed, and failed miserably," Glass said. "They have no comprehension of the Second Amendment."

More than half the protesters marched to the state Capitol, where 21-year-old Jennifer Phalen plopped her 9-month-old baby, Jax, in front of a Rocky Mountain Gun Owners banner at the center of the protest.

"This is about me protecting my son," she said as she smoked a cigarette.

Later, Phalen's father held Jax while she put sunscreen on the baby's flushed face. When asked how he felt about his highly politicized grandson, 47-year-old Alan Albertus said, "I love it."

"This is quality time," Phalen chimed in.
The crowd chanted "Where's weasel Bill?" in the background, signifying their distaste for Colorado Gov. Bill Owens' decision to back gun-control measures after the Columbine High School massacre last April 20.

An afternoon protest across town at the University of Denver lacked the energy and fire of the morning demonstrations.

While a "Town Meeting" featuring Clinton and NBC-TV news anchor Tom Brokaw was taking place inside Sturm Hall, DU students teased protesters lined up behind a mesh fence on the lawn. Behind them, students lobbed Frisbees and a football.

Beyond them, about a dozen police officers looked bored.

Copyright 2000 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.



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The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.

Coinneach
April 13, 2000, 02:30 PM
When asked how he felt about his highly politicized grandson, 47-year-old Alan Albertus said, "I love it."

Go Labgrade! :D

Mikul
April 13, 2000, 02:56 PM
This is finally some good news, and I think that the newspaper handles the article well.

I hope it wasn't all a big shouting match, and that some people actually learned something.

Some 220 gun-rights supporters made sheep noises...
That's funny. Too bad it's an inside joke.

Jeff Thomas
April 13, 2000, 03:50 PM
Interesting, but note the subtle ways in how they portray the pro-rights protestors. Did their best to make them sound a bit beyond the pale, IMHO. Typical.

Red Bull
April 13, 2000, 04:22 PM
"The girl wiped her behind with it (a copy of The Constitution) and threw it over her shoulder "

That is about the level of maturity of this anti-gun crowd.
They have to bus in a bunch of teeny bopper kids to support their ridiculous, ignorant and emotional stance.

I can just see them plugging their ears and chanting "La la la la la" when anyone tries to talk to them about the facts.







[This message has been edited by Red Bull (edited April 13, 2000).]

J.T.King
April 13, 2000, 04:26 PM
This is a classic piece of pro-gun-control spin journalism. It is predominately reaonably minded and that is its strength. It tries to appeal to suburban mom by saying things like:

a 16-year-old junior at Denver's East High School, snapped back, "So I guess that means we should just have everybody shooting everybody."

No rebuttal of that concept by the journalist...

also:

"You don't have a right to kill someone," 16-year-old South High School student Andrew Harrison yelled at a man...

Also patently false. After all, you DO have a right to kill someone in self-defense. Again, no rebuttal by the journalist.


"You're calling me a communist because you're a Nazi."

So now we are Nazi's eh? Just becasue we believe in the Constitution? This selection of quotes from 16 year olds presented as NEWS and as the supposed representative view of all these anti gun pep rally people?

Finally:

21-year-old Jennifer Phalen plopped her 9-month-old baby, Jax, in front of a Rocky Mountain Gun Owners banner at the center of the protest. "This is about me protecting my son," she said as she smoked a cigarette.

Lets see... implications are... she is too young to be a good parent evidenced by the politicising of her kid who she dresses in camo and smokes a cigarette around.

Funny we never heard anyhting aboutthe teens who I guarantee were smoking more than the crowd. Agian.. IMHO, this is a spun piece of hack journalism in a very insidious manner. This is what we face, we need to be just as subtle and tactful in showing the vast majority of the apathetic public that we are also reasonable human beings.

J.T.

Paul Revere
April 13, 2000, 04:34 PM
***TYRANNY RESPONSE TEAM***

Isn't that the truth!

Kathryn
April 13, 2000, 06:43 PM
The Denver Post is a notoriously anti-gun rag. This is a mild article for them.

Donny
April 13, 2000, 06:53 PM
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The girl wiped her behind with it and threw it over her shoulder at more than 200 protesters chanting, "Guns Save Lives."
[/quote]

She did this after watchin WJC doing the very same thing with the Constitution, and BOR. She was doing this for his sake, not her own mind.

It also shows the level of disrespect that exists against us. Yet, I'm damn certain that if down the street when she was getting into her car, and was jumped by a would-be rapist. She would have certainly allow a gun-toting (CCW) person save her life, and dignity, with the same gun she feels so very strongly against.

I'm certainly hope she lives long enough to realize the error of her ways.

Best Regards,
Don



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The most foolish mistake we could make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms; history shows that all conquerers who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall.
Adolf Hitler

USP45
April 13, 2000, 07:43 PM
Yea, i've been called a Nazi for not wanting to give away my paycheck to the bureacrats too... it's a joke, too bad i'm not laughing.

Baaahhh...

~USP

DC
April 13, 2000, 07:58 PM
RE: Nazi's

Ahh, the public school system. They could be partially accurate by referring to us as right-wing reactionaries, maybe even by a stretch, anarchists...but Nazi? Nope, Nazi's were socialist facists....one of the very things we abhor. In truth, they actually do embody National Socialist traits and support many of the same things the Teutonic Nazis did.

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!