PORTLAND – The second annual Right to Carry Barbecue aimed to be a low-key affair – and it apparently succeeded.
The gathering at Back Cove today was organized by the Maine Open Carry Association, a group that promotes people’s right to carry holstered firearms in public.
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“We’re just here to meet like-minded people and have some fun,” said Shane Belanger, a co-founder of the group.
Belanger organized last year’s event, which drew some 125 participants as well as a group of about 30 who rallied nearby for gun control.
About 20 people met up for today’s event, while a couple of people played with a Frisbee nearby and others walked along the path. The attendees – some of whom came from the midcoast and York County – stood around with holstered guns, chatting as they waiting for someone to bring the grill.
Belanger, a University of Southern Maine student, said the group wants to show that it’s not just criminals who carry firearms. He said law-abiding people do as well, but others may just not realize it.
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