Philadelphia Finally Gets That We Can Legally Open Carry Guns

The first indication that Philadelphia, the biggest city in Pennsylvania, was starting to understand that people can legally open carry their guns came on May 18, 2013 at the End the Fed rally. As previously reported here by The International Libertarian, Edd Skitz was stopped by a police officer and asked for his license to carry a firearm. On seeing this my first though was "oh no, here we go". I was pleasantly surprised when seconds later Edd was continuing his way, gun still on his hip.

One week later came the Philadelphia Gun Rights Rally at which dozens of gun owners open carried in defiance of Philadelphia's ordinance prohibiting "... firearms and deadly weapons in or around City-owned or City-occupied facilities...". The police didn't interfere with the march which went off peacefully. Video of the rally can be seen at this mainstream media coverage of the event.  Pictures can be seen at the Facebook event page Philadelphia Gun Rights Rally.

Participants then joined the Save The 2nd! rally at Independence Hall. This too included open carrying though it was on federal rather than city property where open carrying is well established as legal as long as state law allows it.

Below are pictures taken during the Save The 2nd! rally (many of the participants, guns,  and signs were also at the Philadelphia Gun Rights Rally):

Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (jpfo.org)

Mark Fiorino (organizer of the Philadelphia Gun Rights Rally) and K X

 

 

Gilberton Borough, PA Police Chief Mark Kessler

Saying No to the Horsham Drone Command Center

About 100 people came out to protest the drone command center that will open in October at the Horsham Air Guard Station in Pennsylvania. In the video below a local activist, Bill Perry, explains why we need to oppose drone warfare:

Pictures of the protest can be seen at the Facebook event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/281904038609069/) and at Phillyburbs.com (http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/drone-protest/article_f2caae9c-b9a0-579f-a6e5-367378bd3b56.html)

The protests will continue on the last Saturday of each month until October.

Adam Kokesh Announces That the Open Carry March on Washington is Off

Live on Ernest Hancock's radio show Declare Your Independence Adam Kokesh has made clear that the Open Carry March on Washington has been replaced by The Final American Revolution. He is calling for rallies at all 50 state capitals. This was first announced while he was in federal custody as reported by The International Libertarian here.

Listen to the archived interview at: http://vimeo.com/67067868

Adam Kokesh Calls on American Revolutionary Army to March on 50 State Capitols

A sign held up outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, PA during Kokesh's and Poe's hearings

(Philadelphia, PA, May 24, 2013)— Political prisoner and activist Adam Kokesh has released a statement from inside the Philadelphia federal prison about his planned July 4th, 2013 Open Carry March on Washington, DC. The statement was read by comedian and activist N.A. Poe, until recently a fellow prisoner of Kokesh’s, today Friday, May 24 at 1PM in front of the Philadelphia federal prison.

[CORRECTION: The statement was read by Lucas Jewell, business manager of Kokesh's online show "Adam vs. the Man."]

What follows is Kokesh’s complete and unabridged statement.

“When a government has repeatedly and deliberately failed to follow its own laws, violated the fundamental human rights of its citizens, threatened the sanctity of a free press, created institutions intended to eliminate privacy of communication, waged war at the behest of special interest that threatens the public safety, killed hundreds of children with drone strikes, imprisoned and destroyed the lives of countless individuals for victimless crimes, stifled economic opportunity to maintain the dominance of the financial elite, stolen from the people through an absurd system of taxation and inflation, sold future generations into debt slavery, and abused its power to suppress political opposition, it is unfit to exist and it becomes the duty of the people to alter or abolish that government by whatever means necessary to secure liberty and ensure peace.

“A new American revolution is long overdue. This revolution has been brewing in the hearts and minds of the people for many years, but this Independence Day, it shall take a new form as the American Revolutionary Army will march on each state capital to demand that the governors of these 50 states immediately initiate the process of an orderly dissolution of the federal government through secession and reclamation of federally held property. Should one whole year from this July 4th pass while the crimes of this government are allowed to continue, we may have passed the point at which non-violent revolution becomes impossible.

“The time to sit idly by has passed. To remain neutral is to be complicit, just doing your job is not an excuse, and the line in the sand has been drawn between the people, and the criminals in Washington, D.C. While some timid souls will say that it is too early, that we can solve this problem through democratic means provided by government, that current levels of taxation are reasonable for the services provided, and that the crimes of this government are merely a tolerable nuisance, it may already be too late.

“While there is risk in drastic action, the greater danger lies in allowing this government to continue unchallenged. So if you are content with the status quo, stay home, get fat, watch the fireworks from a safe distance, and allow this Independence Day to pass like any other. But if you see as we see, and feel as we feel, we will see you on the front lines of freedom on July 4th, 2013 for this, The Final American Revolution.”

Signed, Adam Kokesh, May 23, 2013 from a cage in the Philadelphia federal prison.
Kokesh and Poe were arrested on Saturday, May 18, 2013 while speaking to a permitted marijuana legalization rally at Independence Mall National Historic Park in center city Philadelphia, in a space specifically designated for free speech. They are being framed on felony charges of assaulting a federal officer, despite overwhelming video footage to the contrary.

“They just came after Adam [Kokesh] and N.A. Poe, the organizer of Smokedown – the only two there out of hundreds present who were taken into custody,” said Michael Salvi, an observer of the rally.

At a preliminary hearing in front of US Magistrate Judge Thomas J. Rueter in the Byrne courthouse on Monday, May 20, 2013, Kokesh and Poe were denied bail. Poe was subsequently released on Thursday, May 23, 2013. Kokesh was denied release on the same day.


About Adam Kokesh
Adam Kokesh is a former US Marine corporal and veteran of the Iraq War who is active for peace, marijuana legalization, the right to keep and bear arms and other libertarian causes. Kokesh is the host of talk radio show “Adam vs the Man.” http://adamvstheman.com. Complete information on Adam Kokesh’s arrest and federal caging is available at http://FreeAdam.net.

The press release this post is based on can be found at: http://freeadam.net/2013/05/24/adam-kokesh-march-50-state-capitols/

Adam Kokesh Remains Behind Bars, NA Poe Released

NA Poe after his release from federal custody

Philadelphia, PA - After being arrested on Saturday May 18, 2013 liberty activists Adam Kokesh and NA Poe had their detention hearings the following Thursday. NA Poe was released while Adam Kokesh has chosen not to reveal his address to the government for fear of his residence being raided and his belongings taken. For this reason Adam remains in federal custody. He has another hearing scheduled for Tuesday May 28th.

Below is an interview with Poe's girlfriend Rachael Friedmann, who was in the courtroom for the hearing, explaining the situations of both activists:

Both activists were arrested at Smoke Down Prohibition V in which marijuana smokers engage in civil disobedience by smoking said plant in front of Independence Hall. See video of the arrests here. 

Adam Kokesh is a Marine Corps veteran best known for his Internet show Adam vs the Man.

NA Poe is a Philadelphia, PA activist and one of the hosts of The Panic Hour.

Pictures of the scene outside the federal courthouse during the hearings: