The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of September 8, 2019.
Every Saturday morning, my father and 12 year-old son go to the Alexandria Farmer’s Market. My son gets cookies. My dad gets ham biscuits. Two weeks ago, they brought me some homemade salsa. This weekend, they got something else.Four men in a group called “The Right to Bear Arms” showed up at the Alexandria City Farmer’s Market carrying AR-15 assault rifles outfitted with scopes and bipods for sniping. According to a video one of the group members, they staged this action to “educate people” about gun rights and “exercising our constitutional rights without fear to do so.” The video is also filled with the usual references to freedom and the government taking away rights if you do not use them. He also indicated they intended to do these kind of “monthly walks.”
