I still don't really understand why carry long guns at all.
The only reason I can think of is that they attract cameras, other than that... "Because we can?"
To what end, what exact message is having a long gun, loaded or unloaded, supposed to send? Carrying long guns around is a pain in the ass, barring some high-percentage likelihood of use I will, for the rest of my adult life, prefer to leave it in my car at best.
I spent far too long hauling a rifle around professionally to view it as anything but an annoyance if there's nothing around that immediately needs shooting. Barrying a coherent purpose that is likely to have some desireable effect, I'll do my protesting with just a nice comfortable pistol.
Because they look dangerous, project violence and threat and attract cameras and attention. The people carrying them might have different opinions about why they are carrying them (maybe even some good reasons), but those three things are the 'real' message that is sent to the outside world. The quotes like this don't help: "There will be blood, and they can have mine" or, "we will resist" or, "The types of laws and things that [Congress is] shoving down our throat, I'm not O.K. with that. It might come down to where the only way to stop that is to remove them, and they're not going to walk away peacefully".
Yea, yea, no-one is talking about murder or revolution. There are even quotes like, "We don't mean anyone is going to get shot or blown up."
You get such a mixed message, I'm still not sure what the motivation behind these things really is. It certainly isn't just about gun rights. To your average urban resident though the message is probably pretty clear.
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To me, carrying a long gun is about thinking you might need a long gun. When do you carry a long gun? Hunting, warzones, protection from large animals, target shooting, serious self defense, guarding sensitive areas, protecting VIPs, and political rallies. To me, one of those things is not like the others.
I don't have much else to say though, I've made my point as best I can. If people can rationalize carrying long arms to a political protest, fine. Just be aware of the message you are sending because it might not be the message you intend.