They’re coming to Miami Beach with guns and rifles, and they will be welcomed, police chief says

A group of gun enthusiasts, who created a ruckus when they showed up on the South Beach pier in June with handguns and rifles, plan another well-armed visit Saturday — but this time, Miami Beach police say they’ll be ready and accommodating.

Four months ago, when six members of Open Carry showed up at the pier on the south end of Miami Beach, startled fishermen and visitors contacted park rangers who notified police, and officers temporarily detained and disarmed the group before determining they were within their rights to carry weapons.

The group, which often makes a show of the right to bear arms, live-streamed the first five minutes of the encounter on Facebook and later posted it on YouTube. It also threatened a lawsuit, quoting from Florida Statute 790.25 (3) (h), which allows “a person engaged in fishing, camping, or lawful hunting or going to or returning from a fishing, camping, or lawful hunting expedition” to openly carry a firearm.

There seemed to be confusion at the time over whether Miami Beach police were aware the group had planned a visit.

There was speculation that the visit was a set-up. Miami Beach Police Chief Dan Oates said at the time that given the current climate, when six people show up at a public pier with weapons, the public wants a quick response. The demonstration by Open Carry preceded a planned voter registration drive on Miami Beach for tighter gun control by just a few hours.

This time, Oates said Open Carry properly notified the city ahead of time of the planned visit.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure their rights are protected,” Oates said.

Open Carry is a Lehigh Acres-based nonprofit whose website claims is “dedicated to advancing the fundamental civil rights of all Floridians to keep and bear arms for self-defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”

The group sent out a flier Friday announcing its planned visit from 10:30 a.m. through 2 p.m. Saturday. It said the event will begin at the 12th Street parking garage and conclude at South Pointe Pier. On the flier was a picture of a Miami Beach cop with his arms extended and holding a weapon.

They are calling Saturday’s visit a “Line in the sand gathering.”

Calls and an email sent to Open Carry were not returned by early afternoon.

Asked if the gun advocacy group was just trying to prove a point at the expense of Miami Beach, the chief said it doesn’t matter.

“It’s not our job to evaluate the point they’re trying to make,” he said. “We’ll be present to ensure everyone’s rights are properly respected.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 12:32 PM.