Kids with guns

Citizens around the U.S. are quietly planning a peaceful rally & fundraiser that has anti-gun liberals loudly wailing and gnashing their teeth, when they aren’t scratching their heads. The rally is a toy drive and field day for underprivileged kids that will feature a march on Washington fully armed… with toy guns.

Staged in response to an actual armed protest planned for the 4th of July, the “Toy Gun March” held on July 3rd is focused on doing something positive for kids in the name of the principles of liberty. Libertarians and conservatives are often painted as not caring about child welfare because of their positions on guns. They accuse gun owners writ large as being responsible for individual accidents whenever a child is injured with a weapon. However, they choose to ignore the greater amount of accidents when it happens to be something such as accidental drownings. The rally organizers are planning an event to demonstrate that gun owners can be responsible, charitable, non-aggressive and respectful of private property… and it’s driving the liberals bonkers.

Toy March aimed at changing the national conversation on guns

Liberal anti-gun activists have been having a hard time trying to understand the mentality of the toy gun marchers. Usually liberals find themselves confined to debating with either the ultra-paranoid preppers or establishment Republican voices on gun control, admittedly easier targets. But when confronted with the fact that the toy gun marchers are sensible libertarians, not wild-eyed ne’er do-wells, they don’t quite know how to react.

Mary Elizabeth Marcher writes: This is a terrible idea. What are you thinking? You can’t really tell by sight if a gun is a toy gun or a real one these days. Gun manufacturers are making guns that are pink & blue & plastic. Someone could even hide an assault weapon INSIDE a large water gun. You may have good intentions, but you can’t know that every person who shows up does. You are creating a perfect opportunity for any psychopathic gun nut to infiltrate. 

She might have saved her outrage for the people who are actually planning on carrying guns the next day. Although it seems silly, toy guns have been regulated and even banned in many instances. Liberal outrage and political correctness has gone so overboard that students have been suspended for pointing fingers and saying “bang” and a little girl was suspended for talking about shooting her classmates with her Hello Kitty bubble gun.

A Queens resident, Jack Pawlowski was arrested for pulling out a toy gun to play with his kids at a local park in Astoria. An outraged mom recorded him and turned him over to authorities who promptly arrested the non-violent father engaging in innocent play.

Clearly gun control has been taken too far when it infringes on the rights of our children and parents to have fun with toy guns. Playing with toy guns is not a crime and it shouldn’t be. A planned toy gun march in the District of Columbia puts to light the ridiculousness anti-gun advocates stoop to so as to to regulate even the most benign, playful behavior in our society. Does banning toy guns or using violence to arrest people who play with them make any sense?

The most interesting angle on this story has been the liberal anti-gun activists who are not only in favor of the march, but actually planning on attending. Many of them see this march for what it is, peaceful civic activism for change. Although they don’t agree with the libertarian’s gun stances, they seem willing to reach across the aisle because of the positive and tactful approach being used. The Facebook page set up for the event has become a sprawling debate forum where liberal activists often find themselves at odds with one another over the meaning and intent of the toy gun march.

Libertarians have a lot to gain by engendering this type of conversation. It puts liberals in a terribly awkward position. Should they support the rally because the libertarians have peaceful intentions, or should they oppose it because the marchers are carrying toy guns they want banned? And is it really that bad to be marching with toy guns for charity when an actual armed march is taking place the next day? That’s quite a conundrum. Undoubtedly this kind of debate will put people into arguing positions they’ve never held before and that’s healthy for society in general.

Who are the marchers?

Citizens from around the country are pledging to come and to bring their families and donations of toys. Some private citizens are even offering to pay directly for motorized wheelchairs for the elderly who cannot march on their own. A board of representatives is being formed to handle the fundraising and over 200 people have thus far RSVP’d. The rally organizer, Austin Petersen has recruited four leading female liberty activists to come on board and help direct activities such as fundraising, marketing, social media and activity planning. The event is going to push hard to raise as much money & toys for kids as possible to send a message of care and positivity while asserting a strong pro 2nd amendment stance.

So what do you think? Should anti-gun activists support the Toy Gun March on DC, or oppose it?