Armed Men Roaming Streets of Portland Claim They Are Trying to 'Educate the Public'
An infamous "Second Amendment educator" from the southern Oregon city of Medford alarmed many in Portland when he and a friend were spotted wandering neighborhood streets armed with assault rifles.
The Oregonian's Noelle Crombie reports that Warren R. Drouin's habit of openly carrying AR-15s in public places has resulted in so many calls to local police that he is known by top officials in Medford as simply "Warren."
On Wednesday, Drouin, 22, and his friend Steven M. Boyce of Gresham decided to "educate the public" on their Second Amendment rights by walking around Southeast Portland with their AR-15s slung over their shoulders.
Their provocation — which they recorded (see left) — soon elicited nearly a dozen 911 calls to police from citizens who remember the December 11th shooting at nearby Clackamas Town Center all too well.
Portland has a ban on carrying loaded firearms in public places, but citizens with concealed handgun licenses — like Boyce and Drouin — are exempt.
Still, Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said their "demonstration" could potentially distract the attention of officers from "more urgent emergency calls."
The Oregonian also took issue with the stunt.
In a piece entitled "poster-bullies for gun transparency," the paper's editorial board wrote that the two mean could present a danger to themselves of others by doing "the Second Amendment equivalent of yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater."
In addition to terrifying people, their behavior could have been — in fact, was — mistaken as a threat, and it could have prompted a deadly response by well-intentioned bystanders. The sheriff's offices that issued these licenses should exercise their discretion and pull them.
