Unless you live in a failed state like Somalia, or a country under-going a civil war like Syria, the open carry of long guns in urban areas is simply abnormal, and is a right best reserved for when it is truly needed by the population, such as to discourage looting and rioting in the event of a natural disaster or some other failure of civility.

Yes, you can claim it is your “right” to carry such firearms, but it must be pointed out that as a practical matter, rights exist as long as the legislature and courts say they do.

Unfortunately for the citizens of Wisconsin, a number of recent open carry displays in the Appleton area that seem purposefully designed to elicit a response from police, have succeeded only alienating the majority of the citizenry, and building a movement to have those rights stripped away.

Nice work, geniuses.