Las Vegas Review-Journal - Vin Suprynowicz

Nevada is an "open carry" state. That is to say, while state and local governments impose certain unconstitutional restrictions on the God-given (and constitutionally guaranteed) right to carry a weapon concealed, there is no state law barring Nevadans from going about with a sidearm openly holstered on the hip.

While this right to openly carry is exercised with some regularity in Northern Nevada, Metro and other Las Vegas Valley police officers seem to be under the mistaken impression that it's some kind of a "crime" for an adult of sound mind to go about openly armed. In fact, there have actually been cases where Metro officers have killed otherwise law-abiding citizens for this imagined "offense" -- universally getting away with it when there is no contradicting testimony (the other party being conveniently dead) to the officer's well-rehearsed tale (usually told to a carefully selected coroner's jury), that the decedent "made a furtive movement toward his waistband," or even simply "failed to stop and disarm when so ordered."

Thus, it takes some courage -- some would say foolhardiness -- to openly exercise this constitutional right.

Now comes one Billy Logan, who signs himself "NRA Member, GONV Member, Staunch Libertarian, Proud Gun Owner and 2nd Amendment Advocate" and who has e-mailed me that "A bunch of law abiding gun owners" plan to convene at the Buffalo Wild Wings located at 190 West Craig Rd in North Las Vegas, at 11a.m., Sunday May 17th, then around 12:30 p.m. we're going to head over to East Lake Mead Blvd and North Bruce St., right next to the NLVPD," to pick up trash in the vacant lot there.

"Nobody is formally 'in charge' of the event," my correspondent insists, "It's just a bunch of law abiding gun owners meeting to help the public and the police become aware and possibly educated on firearms and open carrying. ... Any help, coverage, ANYTHING you guys can offer is greatly appreciated."

Mr. Logan offers a return e-mail address and phone number, which I will not publish here, though I would gladly make them available to any municipal authority interested in doing some advance planning to make sure no low-ranking police officer is somehow caught by surprise, responding to this peaceful exercise of constitutionally guaranteed rights in a non-thoughtful manner.

In fact, should the law-abiding firearm owners carry through with this small demonstration, here's hoping everyone -- especially North Las Vegas police -- obeys the law on Sunday. Which would mean, in the case of North Las Vegas police, doing nothing at all. Unless, of course, they'd like to pitch in and help pick up some of the cans and cardboard.