Open Carry Views Split Bucks Gun Rights Group

The Concerned Gun Owners of Bucks County is no longer.

The gun rights advocacy group, which was created earlier this year, has split into two organizations with different approaches, members told Patch.

Instead, an outreach and educational organization, Pennsylvanians for Self Protection (PA4SP), has been created as well as an action group, Concerned Gun Owners of Pennsylvania.

David C. Sager, a member of the original Concerned Gun Owners of Bucks County, is one of the founders of PA4SP. He said the primary reason for the split was differing opinions on how best to advance their mission of protecting the Second Amendment.

Specifically, Sager said, the founders of PA4SP believe rallies with open carry guns are not the best approach to get the general public on board with their cause. 

“Open carry, and the attitude that often accompanies open carry, is the primary reason for the split,” Sager said in an email to Patch. 

Sager said while none of the events sponsored by the former Concerned Gun Owners of Bucks County were specifically intended to be open carry events, “some see any gun rally as an opportunity to open carry, so to the general public, they became open carry events.” 

And those open carry events may hinder gun rights activists’ ability to appeal to the broader population, Sager said.

Earlier this month, the Concerned Gun Owners of Bucks County held a rally in Doylestown to demonstrate support for PA House Bill 357.

“We believe that open carry intimidates some of the people that PA4SP is trying to reach. If we want to win at the ballot box, we cannot afford to push people away,” Sager said.  “We also cannot allow others, including the press, to paint us as fringe.”

Andy Rumbold, a founder of the Concerned Gun Owners of Pennsylvania, said the group split so they could each take on a specialized approach to preserving gun rights. 

"Our rallies are held to gather the support of local gun owners to strengthen our cause. Pennsylvanians' right to open carry is recognized by our state government and our state constitution," Rumbold said. 

"It is not our prerogative to dictate law, or tell Pennsylvanians they cannot exercise their rights. We are a firearms rights organization, we support not some of those rights, but all of them."

According to a press release announcing its creation, PA4SP founders say they fully support the state’s open carry laws.  However, “common sense should prevail when deciding whether open carry is appropriate for any given event," the release said.

"If a significant percent of the local populace is intimidated by open carry, then the pros and cons of open carry must be carefully considered, as one of our primary goals is to reach the undecided voter and educate them on the 2nd Amendment,” the release said.

Instead of focusing on rallies, PA4SP, a 501(c)(4) organization, will focus on outreach both to gun owners and non-gun owners as an informative and educational organization, the press release said. 

“We will be equally focused on educating and working with legislators not only to prevent new gun control legislation, but also to advance gun owner rights and reduce criminal firearm activity,” the release said.

PA4SP wants the public to know its members are “ordinary, law-abiding citizens.”

“We do not support any private militia nor do we intend to align ourselves with any militia type organization. We intend to use facts and the powers of persuasion to make our case, and we will treat those that are on the other side of firearms issue with respect,” the release said.

PA4SP founders say they encourage all people involved with the former Concerned Gun Owners of Bucks County to engage with both of the new organizations.

“We have taken different directions to achieve a common goal, that is to protect gun rights,” said PA4SP member Carlo Grilletto.