Open Carry Demonstration in Lake Forest Today

If you stop by a local Lake Forest eatery today don't be surprised to see people walking around with weapons on display:

Expect to see a group of people carrying unloaded firearms in front of The Orchard shopping center on Sunday.

The group of about 10 is expected to be in front of the Corner Bakery from noon to 3 p.m. They will be passing out information about Second Amendment rights to educate the public about the legality of guns, sheriff's Deputy Richard Nelson said. The group called Lake Forest Police Services to inform them about the weekend plans.

"If they do it legally with their guns exposed – it's not against the law," Nelson said. "We will respond to any and all calls for service if residents have a concern. We will also make sure all the guns are properly registered. We expect them to be peaceful and law abiding citizens."

Last May a group led by Bob Serrao held a similar campaign at Towne Center in Foothill Ranch.

"We want to revive the American tradition of open carry and to exercise our Second Amendment rights to own and carry arms," Serrao, of Irvine, said at the time. "It's a way to educate people ... to help them retrust guns."

I'm sure this is going to give some people a major case of the vapors, but I don't have any problem with it. I'm not sure the wisdom of walking around with an unloaded gun, given the potential for someone to either mistake it for a threat, or if something ugly were to take place mistake it for a weapon that's more useful than a hammer.