UPDATED: Chris Matthews interviewing citizen who brought a gun to Obama's health care town hall in New Hampshire (person was outside the building)

Much of this was originally posted on August 11th, but new information has caused me to move this back to the top of my page (something that I have only done a couple of times in the past). In particular, that William Kostric, the man with a gun, was attacked by union members immediately before the event and behaved extremely responsibly. Kostric was on private property a few blocks and a few hours away from the president. More importantly, he always carries his gun with him, so it was not a provocative act.

This segment on Chris Matthews' show is hard to listen to this simply because Matthews sounds like he is yelling the whole time. Still at about 6:54 into the piece, the person that Matthews is interviewing mentions my book, More Guns, Less Crime. I think that Kostric did an excellent job keeping his cool with Matthews' attacking him. For someone who isn't used to being in the national media, I think that he explained himself quite clearly.



Union members kicked one person with William Kostric and spit on the person with Kostric. Kostric did not behave improperly. As noted in the clip, "initially, the thug didn't see William's sidearm. But once [the union member] did, he backed right up and moved on down the line to the next person."



Thanks to Angela Thornton Canny for sending me these two youtube links.

Katie Couric asked: "Are we really still debating health care when a man brings a handgun to a church where the President is speaking?"

Look at how the New York Times discusses this case:

Interestingly, we do not have any agreement at all on the question of whether it is a good plan to bring a gun to a gathering of angry and overwrought people. To be honest, I thought we might be able to nail this one down.

But no.

“The question is, why don’t people bear arms these days,” said William Kostric, when asked why he came to welcome President Obama to Portsmouth, N.H., on Tuesday with a protest sign and a loaded handgun strapped to his thigh. This turned out to be completely legal under New Hampshire law. . . .

See also this discussion on MSNBC.



USA Today also discussed the Kostric.

CBS asked: "Why Did Protestor Bring Gun to Obama Town Hall?" The focus on their piece was on right wing militias.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks that Kostric bringing the gun may have occurred because of the likes of Beck, Hannity or Limbaugh.

Salon's take is here.

Allah Pundit at Hotair chimed in with this: "I doubt it would have sat well with our readers if lefties carrying Bushitler signs had shown up to Dubya’s events packing heat."

UPDATE: The person with the gun was apparently a couple of blocks away from where the president was.

UPDATE2: Liberal Talker Ed Schultz: Conservatives "Want Obama To Get Shot"

The video is here.

UPDATE3: This issue might continue for a while. In Phoenix on Monday, "Man carrying assault weapon attends Obama protest."

About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday—the latest incidents in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president. . . .

UPDATE4: Federal legislation called for to ban guns near Obama events

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) called on the Homeland Security Department and the U.S. Secret Service on Wednesday to provide tighter restrictions on citizens carrying weapons, openly or concealed, while in the vicinity of President Barack Obama.

Norton, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee, made the request after numerous news reports have shown groups of people brandishing firearms while outside of events held by Obama over the past several weeks.

“It is clear that if the Secret Service can temporarily clear all aircraft from air space when the president is in the vicinity, the agency has the authority to clear guns on the ground that are even closer to the President,” Norton said.

But the Secret Service says that Obama was never in danger when a group of about a dozen protesters brandished their firearms outside the Phoenix convention center earlier this week where he was speaking. . . .

UPDATE5: E.J. Dionne Jr., "Leave The Guns At Home"