Open carriers bring rifles, signs to state capitol. Police request they leave signs behind.

By Bob Owens | 1:20 PM | October 10, 2013

Michiganlanders (Michiganians? Michiganistas?) have the right to open carry rifles, shotguns, and pistols into the state capitol in Lansing, but don’t even think about bringing a sign:

Second Amendment advocates exercised their legal right to carry pistols and rifles into the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday, but they had to leave their signs — and some might argue, their First Amendment rights — at the door.

Michigan Capitol Committee rules prohibit hand-carried and hand-stick signs in the 135-year-old building due to concerns that they could accidentally scratch the decorative paint or be dropped from upper floors onto unsuspecting tourists on the rotunda floor below.

Michigan State Police who work at the building regularly enforce the sign rule, but there is no rule or law preventing gun owners from carrying their weapons into the Capitol.

Bob Owens is the Editor of BearingArms.com. Bob is a graduate of roughly 400 hours of professional firearms training classes, including square range and force-on force work with handguns and carbines. He is a past volunteer instructor with Project Appleseed. He most recently received his Vehicle Close Quarters Combat Instructor certification from Centrifuge Training, and is the author of the short e-book, So You Want to Own a Gun. He can be found on Twitter at bob_owens.