Freshman Shane Belanger, a pre-med biology major, is organizing a picnic in Portland’s picturesque Back Cove at the end of April. “It’s a nice little barbecue between friends – friends with a common interest,” said Belanger.
Their common interest: gun owners who want to exercise their right to carry a holstered weapon in public.
He said the idea started as a post he wrote on opencarry.org, an internet community for people who support openly carrying holstered handguns in daily life.
The event will be held Sunday, April 25, at 2 p.m. in the Preble Street parking lot, across from Hannaford. Belanger originally planned to serve food but found out he would need to pay $80 for a permit. He will also have to get a permit if he expects more than 25 people to attend, according to the Portland Police. Captain Vern Malloch said these are city ordinances and the permit is so police can properly prepare for the issues large events can cause.
“We’re going to have our picnic capped at 20 and if more people show up, they have a separate picnic next to us,” said Belanger.
Belanger said he doesn’t know for sure how many others will come. “We’re just gonna play it by ear,” he said.
“We’ll monitor the size of the event,” said Capt. Malloch. He said police will focus their attention on making sure it remains peaceful and everyone is protected.
“It’s definitely supposed to be a family oriented event. You don’t have to carry [a gun] to come,” said Belanger, who won’t be carrying a firearm because it’s back home in Caribou.
He said he knows other people will probably stop by and will be providing information about open carry laws for those interested. “It’s America. It’s our right,” said Belanger.
Capt. Malloch said the Portland Police Department haven’t formulated a plan yet and it will depend on the expected crowd. He said they’ll wait for it to unfold before making any decisions.
On opencarry.org, Belanger suggested people only bring holstered handguns to ensure their first event runs smoothly. “I want it to be real low key. It is their right to have a shotgun or a rifle slung over their back, [but] I don’t think it’s the right time in this movement to do that,” he said.
“I would love to organize more stuff like this,” he added. He said he may organize an open carry trash pickup to help the community, while also exercising their right to carry a gun.
Belanger said he is a supporter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national organization which believes holders of state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same rights on college campuses. According their website, Maine is one of 24 states which prohibits concealed carry on college campuses by people with a valid concealed handgun license or permit.
“[The shooting at Virginia Tech] wouldn’t have happened if we had concealed carry on campus or open carry on campus,” said Belanger.
Since his post on the opencarry.org, the event has garnered media attention. He said he has been contacted by WGME and NECN and the Portland Press Herald already interviewed him.
“I really didn’t think there’d be this much media attention,” said Belanger, 19. He said his age could partly be the reason for the media coverage.
“NECN called me the face of open carry for Maine,” he said, smiling.