In the wake of of the mass murder of 49 people carried out in Orlando by a rabid Hillary Clinton-supporter and bloody, high-profile attacks on Donald Trump supporters in various parts of the country, some GOP delegates are discussing the need to bring firearms for self-defense to the GOP Convention.

As the Republican convention in Cleveland approaches, several delegates from Pennsylvania who support Donald Trump say they are planning on bringing their guns with them to the GOP gathering. Why? They say they are worried about possible violent protest and even an attack from ISIS.

James Klein, a pro-Trump delegate from the Harrisburg area, notes that guns won’t be needed inside the convention hall and that delegates won’t be allowed to bring in weapons. “But,” he adds, “there’s the hotels. There’s going to be dinners.”

So Klein, an insurance executive and economist, has decided to come armed to Cleveland, and he has urged his fellow delegates to do the same. “We’re talking about ISIS,” he remarks, citing the recent shooting in Orlando and the bombings at the Istanbul airport. Referring to protesters outside Trump rallies, he adds, “We’re talking about people who have shown a propensity for violence.”

“There are a whole bunch of things happening: You go to various events, receptions, whatever, outside the convention hall,” says Ash Khare, a delegate from the northwest corner of the state who applied for a concealed carry permit in preparation for Cleveland. “And you walk on the streets and, you know, people know that you are a delegate, and who knows what the crazy people are going to do? So you’ve got to be vigilant about what’s going on and prepare yourself.”

There are several security zones that have been set up for the Republican National Convention.

The “RNC Event Zone” is a multi-block area around the Quicken Loans Arena designed to minimize the risk of rioter-induced violence, with bans on the following items:

• (1) Lumber larger than 2” in width and ¼” thick, including supports
  for signs;
• (2) Metal, plastic, or other hard material larger than ¾” thick and
  1/8” in wall thickness including pipe and tubing;
• (3) Any air rifle, air pistol, paintball gun, blasting caps, switchblade
  or automatic knife, knife having a blade two and one-half (2-1/2) inches in
  length or longer, cestus, billy, blackjack, sword, saber, hatchet, axe, slingshot,
  BB gun, pellet gun, wrist shot, blackjack, metal knuckles, nunchucks, mace,
  iron buckle, axe handle, shovel, or other instrumentality used to cause
  property or personal damage;
• (4) Any dangerous ordinance, weapon, or firearm that is prohibited
  by the laws of the State of Ohio;
• (5) Any explosives, explosive device, or incendiary device;
• (6) Fireworks and rockets;
• (7) Sound Amplification Equipment;
• (8) Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems;
• (9) Containers of bodily fluids;
• (10) Aerosol cans;
• (11) Mace, Pepper Spray or other chemical irritant;
• (12) Umbrellas with metal tips;
• (13) Any projectile launchers, such as water guns and water cannons;
• (14) Rope, chain, cable, strapping, wire, string, line, tape, or any
  similar material, in lengths greater than 6’;
• (15) Glass bottles, ornaments, light bulbs, ceramic vessels, and any
  other frangible container, regardless of whether the container holds any
  substance;
• (16) Locks including, without limitation, padlocks, bicycle locking
  devices, chain locks or similar devices, but not including: (i) an integral
  component of a conveyance or structure; (ii) locks when utilized by the owner
  of private real property to secure permanent or temporary fencing; or (iii)
  locks attached to a bicycle;
• (17) Any gas mask or similar device designed to filter all air breathed
  by the wearer in an attempt to protect the respiratory tract and/or face
  against irritating or noxious gasses or other materials. This prohibition on
  gas masks shall not apply to any person wearing a medical oxygen mask that
  fits over the nose and mouth of the person and provides oxygen from an
  oxygen tank to the person;
• (18) Tents and other shelters, sleeping bags, sleeping pads,
  mattresses, cots, hammocks, bivy sacks, or stoves;
• (19) Coolers or ice chests;
• (20) Backpacks and bags exceeding the size of 18” x 13” x 7”;
• (21) Lasers;
• (22) Non-plastic containers, bottles, cans, or thermoses;
• (23) Ladders;
• (24) Grappling hooks, sledgehammers, hammers, and crowbars;
• (25) Canned goods;
• (26) Tennis balls; and
• (27) Any other item determined by the Chief or Director to be a clear
  and present danger to the safety of others.

The lawful carry of firearms for self-defense inside the event zone, which will hopefully dampen the violent tendencies of anti-Trump rioters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5kEySXLcws

Firearms will still be prohibited inside Quicken Loans Arena (“The Q”) where the Republican National Convention is being held as a security precaution, as it has been designated a National Special Security Event by the Secretary of Homeland Security. The same designation and rules will apply inside Democrat National Convention will be inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia in July.