“Why do those guys have guns?  Are they cops?”  This has been an often asked question around Public Square and other places throughout Cleveland this week.  One of the most contentious issues surrounding the outside of the Convention has been whether people would be allowed to open carry in the city during the event.

Under Ohio laws and statutes, open carry is completely legal on public land except under certain security situations.  However, the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association asked for open carry laws to be suspended after the shooting in Baton Rouge that killed three law enforcement officers and the shooting in Dallas that killed five officers.  Governor John Kasich denied their request and spokeswoman Emmalee Kalmbach stated that “Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested.”  Although those with a gun license are allowed to carry in public places throughout Cleveland, they are not allowed to be within a certain distance from the Quicken Loans Arena and other places related to the convention.

A group that has brought much conversation to those in Cleveland is the “West Ohio Minutemen.”  Based out of Allen, Van Wert, Mercer, and Auglaize Counties in Ohio, the group has made quite a presence around the city in the past few days.  According to member Joe Horman, the group was out there to “exercise our second amendment rights and to show people that we got these rights.”  He would continue on to say that they were also there to “defend these guys in blue,” in reference to the Cleveland Police officers standing nearby.  The members acted peacefully, standing about in groups with their guns fully displayed to the public.

However, not everyone who was open carrying was a member of a militia. Micah Naziri from Yellow Springs, Ohio was open carrying against Donald Trump and the things that he has said.  Naziri stated that “when we have a candidate that is talking about rounding up people using a police state apparatus, it is Orwellian in nature, when he is talking about religious tests, which are unconstitutional, these are Nazi in precedent and Fascist in tone.”  He said that although most open carriers are supporting Trump, he “is absolutely here opposing Trump.”

While a contentious issue, it seems as though there has not been any conflict regarding the open carry of firearms in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention.