Last Sunday Charles A. Branstrom, of Appleton, Wisc., thought he'd exercise his Second Amendment rights and hoof around Neenah, Wisc. with a Mossberg 500 shotgun slung on his back and 20 shotgun shells.
He bragged later on the Facebook page of "Wisconsin Carry" that a Neenah Police officer had threatened to shoot him in the head.
When you watch this dashcam video from the officer's squad car, you'll see that it didn't happen quite that way. The primary officer had directed Branstrom to keep his hands in sight and not make any furtive moods. He told Branstrom that, if he did (make such furtive moves), his partner, who was covering Branstrom with her pistol drawn but held in a lowered position, would shoot him in the head. That's not how Branstrom wrote it on Facebook.
Throughout the 17-minute contact the officer was courteous and polite to Branstrom.
You can read the story in the Neenah Post-Crescent and watch the video here.
I loved the officer's comment to a fellow officer that Branstrom was "free to be stupid." While he would, in retrospect, probably wish he hadn't said that aloud, I do not fault him for it. He's right.
On Monday I followed a thread of comments on the Facebook page of Wisconsin Carry and added mine - that I believed Branstrom was wrong to walk around Neenah with his shotgun. Nik Clark, founder of Wisconsin Carry and Facebook page moderator, took exception to my comments, criticized me and then blocked me from the group. I've thought about throwing my First Amendment rights at him, and I certainly will not renew my membership in Wisconsin Carry.
The First and Second Amendment Rights, of course, don't have anything to do with expressions on Facebook. They are rights to protect the People from the Government. The only thing that protects me from Wisconsin Carry is my checkbook, and it is well guarded.
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3 comments:
Agreed, Gus -
In my opinion, Charles A. Branstrom, of Appleton, Wisc., is stupid. While he had the "right" to do so, he's stupid nonetheless.
Gus Said:
>>>> "I loved the officer's comment to a fellow officer that Branstrom was "free to be stupid."
Yep - he's entirely constitutional, entirely accurate, entirely legal, and entirely STUPID.
He's EXACTLY the kind of guy in a "grid down" or "national emergency" situation who'd be the very first to be "dropped".
Uh-Duh!
But then, what the hell -
Let's thin out the herd in order to be able to ascertain who's an actual threat to everyone else, vs who's an actual threat to themselves.
Maybe it's one and the same.
Mr. Branstrom?
You'd be the very first to go.
Thanks, Dave. I wish the public could see the comments on Wisconsin Carry on Facebook, but it's a closed page.
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