OC war heating up in Grand Rapids, MI...

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A number of open carriers showed up again to a Grand Rapids city meeting again last night to urge the city council to repeal a pre-empted law regarding open carry, leading Grand Rapids' liberal in chief, Mayor Heartwell, to declare, "...that he would have them removed from the chambers if they made a 'threatening gesture' toward the gun on their hip," and that he would "end the meeting if the audience continued to applaud speakers for their comments."

Former Mayor Logie espoused placing walk through metal detectors in the city council room so that, "You get the right to come [while carrying], but we get the right to know you’re there.” Said an OC advocate to this, “You don’t need a scanner to see that (gun on my hip). These are your scanners,” said Lawrence Shelby Engel, pointing to his eyes. “I saw (Logie's proposal) as an intellectual slap in the face.”

Several in the crowd pushing for stricter gun control sported Moms Demand buttons, and Mayor Heartwell is a member of MAIG. Heartwell is pushing for laws that would allow each city to write and enforce its own gun control ordinances.

Gun debate solution in Grand Rapids: Former mayor proposes airport scanners | MLive.com

 

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Cool man. Keep up the pressure Michiganders. What with what is going on in CT, now is no time to relent!

 

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Time for a recall….

Here is how Mayor Heartwell opened up the city commission meeting that was attended by a number of open carriers:

[FONT=istok_webregular]“I note the presence of a number of armed civilians in our audience tonight. That may make you uncomfortable. I know it makes me uncomfortable.”[/FONT]

He has made a point of calling out open carriers in every meeting in which he has participated for many months, including one that took place at a school.

He went on to say,

[FONT=istok_webregular]“As long as I’m sitting in this chair, and as long as this commission is in place, we are fundamentally opposed to guns in public meetings.”[/FONT]

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Mr. Mayor, here is my response to your declaration:

“'As long as I’m sitting in this chair, and as long as this commission is in place, we are fundamentally opposed to guns in public meetings,' Heartwell said."

OK - So the mayor has made this simple. It is time to remove him from the chair and replace him with someone who will honor the duties prescribed for him in the Citizen Boards or Commission Member's Handbook and Statement of Privileges and Duties, which states, "To treat citizens and staff appearing before the Board or Commission in an attentive, impartial, polite, reasonable and fair manner and to conduct myself in a manner that reflects well upon the city and shows respect for the dignity of the City and its citizens," p 4.

Mayor Heartwell has turned the city commission into his personal bully pulpit. He has not acted in an impartial manner, he has unapologetically acted solely in accordance with his personal agenda. Furthermore, he has shown nothing but contempt for those citizens appearing before the commission exercising their Constitutionally protected right to openly carry their personal firearms for their own protection. To say that he has been impolite almost seems trite to even point out.

Furthermore, Mayor Heartwell is in blatant violation of his oath of office, which requires him to "...support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Michigan," and to "…faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Mayor…" as prescribed by the handbook referenced above. Article 1 section 6 of the Michigan State Constitution states, "Every person has a right to keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state." The right to openly carry one's firearm for personal defense has been substantiated by 3 Michigan State Police legal updates and at least one State Attorney General's opinion. His oath of office is to support the ENTIRE Constitution of the State of Michigan - not just those parts he deems to be personally acceptable.

Therefore, he is in violation of his prescribed duties as mayor, and of his duty to fully support the Constitutions of the US and Michigan.

It is time to remove him from the chair, and to replace him with a mayor who will faithfully carry out the duties prescribed for this office. Colorado recalled legislators who violated their oath of office to support the Constitution; it is time to recall Mayor Heartwell and any other city official who supports his unConstitutional agenda.

 

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After years of operating in secrecy, Mayor Heartwell has finally publicly announced HIS alliance with Moms Demand and MAIG:

By Mayor George Heartwell and Nicole Robertson, Moms Demand Action- MI

Michigan, America’s high five, is often thought of as very safe and family-friendly; Midwestern nice with plenty of wonderful resources for visitors and residents alike. Grand Rapids fits this ideal description quite well.


But on December 14, 2012 all of that changed – even in Michigan. Every fantasy of any ideal city or town crumbled as newsfeeds and radio waves lit up with horrific details of what had happened in Newtown, Connecticut at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Twenty-six innocent lives ended by senseless gun violence.


This type of tragedy could happen anywhere. Americans – especially those of us with school aged children – grieved, prayed, and stood in disbelief; others questioned what we could do to stop such senseless gun violence from affecting our communities again.


Even in Grand Rapids, we are not immune to the devastating effects of gun violence. We have seen increasing numbers of illegal guns used in violent, criminal behavior and heard our news anchors sound rehearsed as they report the latest shooting in our community.


And that’s why we have joined forces – as the mayor of this great city and as the state membership coordinator of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America in Michigan – because we want to preserve the safety of our community. We are no longer willing to accept the school lockdown drills, the 33 Americans killed each day by guns – eight of which are children and teens – and the shocking inaction of our political leaders in both Washington and Lansing to work towards common-sense solutions that can prevent gun violence.


In the wake of Sandy Hook, mothers across the country came together to form Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America – now the leading voice of American parents who think every day about the safety of our children, families, and neighbors. The Michigan Chapter of Moms Demand Action exemplifies the type of grassroots activism that inspires change.


Just a few months ago Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition with more than 1.5 million supporters, merged with Moms Demand Action to achieve these common goals: protecting communities by holding gun offenders accountable; combating gun trafficking; and working with legislators to fix broken laws that make it far too easy for criminals and other dangerous people to get guns.


Just over one year ago, I (Mayor Heartwell) created the Safe Places Alliance to address these issues. Comprised of a wide variety of community leaders-including attorneys, business leaders, educators, public health and health care professionals, elected officials, parents and law enforcement, this coalition focuses on delineating achievable goals at the local level, formulating strong relationships with gun violence prevention advocates, and positively influencing the gun debate.


Our passion comes from the shared belief that our communities should be safe. Our children and our constituents should be safe when they go the movies or the mall, to church and to school. No one should walk down their street with the fear of losing their life.


We are both driven by our desire to protect our families and communities. If we continue to work together, we know that we will tip the scales in the favor of keeping Grand Rapids a safe and family-friendly place.

Please join us.


Mayor Heartwell is the mayor of Grand Rapids and member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Nicole Robertson is the Michigan Membership Coordinator of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.