Why Unloaded?

As many of you are aware the new administration is looking to ban a large list of weapons. The idea of including the long guns in this year's walk is so that the people can see some of the weapons heading toward the chopping block ; ask questions about not only the laws but the weapons themselves ; and see , through the use of open chamber/open bolt indicator , that law abiding gun owners are responsible and safety conscious. Why are most people for gun control? Fear. The only people they see with guns are the bad guys on the 5:00 news. Through peacefully walking and giving people the opportunity to educate themselves people will see that the vast majority of people are not "crazy gun nuts" but people just like themselves.
There is one issue that's come up that I feel the need to address : why we have rules. This walk has been posted on several forums with a positive response from 99% of the folks who have posted. One poster , however , feels that he should be able to walk with a loaded rifle with no safety. This walk is an educational walk first and foremost. Our community has been very welcoming of our first walk. The first walk went well because the walk was well organized , got plenty of local news coverage and was conducted with safety being it's first priority. Safety isn't anything new to any gun event that I've ever been to. I've been to gun shows and several machine gun shoots with my husband and I can tell you that rules were expected and respected. This event will be no different. If you feel that you can't follow some basic safety rules then do NOT come to this walk. Our only purpose is to educate people in the hopes that our 2nd amendment rights are not infringed on and make our community feel safe with us. If you want to walk around YOUR town with a loaded rifle then knock yourself out. Trying to do so in OUR community will not be welcomed or tolerated. We have ordered a number of safety devices for those who forget theirs or don't have one and each long gun WILL have one in place before the walk begins.
One final note , all are welcome to walk who are willing to follow our simple safety rules. This means that even if you don't own a gun or aren't comfortable open carrying you are certainly still welcome to walk in support. We hope to have another nice crowd of folks this year and you are all welcome to a gathering after the gather. -aileen

2nd Annual Patriots' Day Walk

2nd Annual Patriots' Day Walk


When: Saturday April 18th

Where: Downtown Urbana.

Why: To celebrate Freedom and exercise "the right to keep and bear arms".

Saturday April 18th is the anniversary of Paul Revere's ride and Sunday April 19th, Patriots' Day, is the 234th anniversary of the "shot heard 'round the world" when American Patriots stood up against the British army at the battles of Lexington and Concord and fought our initial fight for Liberty and Independence.

The British army was under orders from General Thomas Gage to confiscate arms and munitions. The Minutemen and Colonial Militia were prepared to give it to them, just not in the way they expected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots%27_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minutemen_(militia)


Last years "open carry" walk was fun and inspiring and will be expanded this year with the inclusion of long guns. All long guns will be inspected prior to walk and must be unloaded with detachable magazines removed and be equipped with open bolt / open chamber indicator flags (will be supplied for anyone who needs one.) A carry strap or sling would be useful with muzzle straight up or straight down. NO MUZZLE WAIVING....PERIOD!! All handguns will stay holstered at all times.
Any one who wishes to walk with us is welcome. Some will walk with us in solidarity unarmed. You do not need a firearm to walk.



We will be meeting behind the Urbana Municipal Building in the lot adjacent to the Fire and Police departments Between 10:00 and 10:30 AM, Saturday April 18th. The walk will take place in the downtown area and last for approximately 1 to 1- 1/2 hours.

After the walk is completed we will likely meet somewhere to eat lunch and a get together will be possible later in the day for those who wish to.

You may contact me on my cell # 937-869-8095 with any questions.

Hope to see you there!

Thomas Horch


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A note from Aileen: If you are planning on coming individually or with a group it would be great to let us know an estimated number of participants. Also , if anyone is interested in lodging information please leave a comment and I will add a post covering those issues. Urbana has 3 hotels and has a number of campgrounds in close range.
Also , if you would like to participate but aren't able to walk the distance we will have a small area in town where you can sit or stand. I'll have a table there with informational handouts for the curious that you can help with.

1st Annual Patriots' Day Walk

      The 1st Annual Patriots' Day Walk was held on April 19th , 2008 in Urbana , ohio.  This event was a celebration of freedom to commemorate the 233rd anniversary of "the shot heard round the world". On April 18th , 1775 Governor Gage ordered the redcoats to march into towns and seize and destroy all munnitions. On April 19th , 1775 the first shots were fired that would be the beginning of our countries fight for Independence and would insure  our rights to bear arms. 

    This local event was organized to exercise our rights and to bring awareness to the community of the legality of "open carry". The walk was held in downtown Urbana and the event participants walked about 3 miles of the downtown area. There were many people driving by and staring and a few people even pulled over and asked about the event. A number of informational flyers were handed out to all who asked about the event. All in all it was a very positive experience. The weather couldn't have cooperated any better and law enforcement was friendly and smiled when driving by. One well wisher came by at the gathering point to wish us well but was unable to attend.


As we headed toward the square at the center of town we came upon an elderly gentleman who was there in support but was unable to walk with us. He stood at that corner the entire time the group walked. He even handed out flyers to people who approached him with questions about the event. This gentleman was a Korean War Vet and we were deeply touched that he came and supported us the best way he could.


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We made a stop at The Depot , a local coffee shop for a restroom break and to fuel up on water and coffee. The workers were very friendly and welcoming. A few customers seemed a bit startled but there was no major commotion. One woman entered The Depot while everyone was inside and said out loud " Oh no , I think I'll leave" and quickly exited the parking lot. No other negative comments were made.



After gathering for a group picture in front (several members had joined in after the walk began) we headed back up Miami Street. As we rounded the corner and headed up North main St. a truck pulled over and asked what we were doing. it was explained what the event was about and the feedback was very positive.
We ended the walk with a stop at The Family Table before parting ways. The waitress who greeted us as we entered was very friendly and was eager to hear all about the event. While we were there one gentleman approached us and said he was interested in the march but was a little unsure so he watched us. He sat with us and discussed his confussion on some of the laws. After a lengthy discussion he assured us he would join us during next year's event. Also , during our meal we noticed one guy leave the establishment and return with a pistol strapped on in support. Pretty cool.
We would like to thank Tom Horch and Mike Craft for helping organize this year's event. There were participants from several areas of Ohio. We would like to acknowledge all participants for making this event a success. From the Springfield area we had Rob and his two sons , Randy , Amber and Daniel. From Cincinnati we had Jeff ; Englewood we had Kent ; Allen and Alana came from Oxford and Paul from Columbus. Tom Horch brought along his daughter Christy and his wife Aileen who videotaped and photographed the event. I am sorry I didn't catch the old timers name on the corner but a special thanks to him. 

We would also like to thank the city of Urbana , the Urbana Police Department , the dispatcher who surely had to field a few calls from startled passers-by , The Depot and the Family Table for welcoming us warmly and those who stopped to share their support.

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After the walk everyone was invited back to the Craft Shooting range for some target practice and Mike's world famous buffalo burgers and brats. Several people who were unable to make the walk due to work schedules were able to join us later in the afternoon. The weather cooperated for us long enough to get some shooting in before the skies broke open. Besides handguns everyone was able to shoot several different types of rifles and , to add a cherry on top of a perfect day , the 50 cal. You just can't shoot that baby without coming up smiling.




Here we see Tom Horch teaching his daughter Christy how to shoot her handgun.


Allen and Randy test their skills on the rifles.


Kent , our Vietnam Vet , proves you never get too rusty.




Here's Jeff on the Range. He traveled the furthest to get to our event.



Allen keeps a watchful eye on Alana.


Paul and Tom taking their turn at the 50 cal.:





You better believe that the 50 cal can do some serious damage to a backdrop. Time to stack up some new railroad ties gentleman.




It was a long day but for this little trooper it was just way too long. This picture was taken while the 50 cal was being shot less than 60 yards away. He never moved.





So glad to see everyone make it out there. We met some fantastic new friends. Mark your calender folks , next year will be bigger and better.