Phil Magness writes: "Open Carry Day" was a recurring event at the Michigan state capitol building long before COVID came along. It's permitted by an existing rule that allows the open carry in the capitol building. The capitol police are well-aware of that rule because they've dealt with large open carry rallies dozens of times before.
Debate the merits of that rule if you like, but any legislator feigning outrage over some of the anti-lockdown protesters carrying guns is lying when they depict this as unprecedented, unusual, or "threatening" to the legislators.
Open carry rallies have been going on annually in the Michigan capitol for a decade or more. The most recent one until this week was on September 10th last year."
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2016/04/13/open-carry-day-brings-gun-toters-state-capitol/82995262/
Debate the merits of that rule if you like, but any legislator feigning outrage over some of the anti-lockdown protesters carrying guns is lying when they depict this as unprecedented, unusual, or "threatening" to the legislators.
Open carry rallies have been going on annually in the Michigan capitol for a decade or more. The most recent one until this week was on September 10th last year."
https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2016/04/13/open-carry-day-brings-gun-toters-state-capitol/82995262/