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Oregon Protest Flag (U.S.)

image by Randy Young, 4 January 2016

Overview

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Overview

Watching the footage on CNN today, they showed a group of supporters protesting in Burns, Oregon. Most of them were carrying defaced American flags with protest slogans, Gadsden flags, Gonzales flags with the cannon replaced by an AR-15 silhouette.

There was an interesting one that caught my attention, though. The flag appeared to be a combination of a couple other flags: the thirteen red and white stripes of the Sons of Liberty flag overlaid by a gold silhouette of the state of Oregon upon which is the central device of the Gadsden flag, with an upright AR-15 silhouette at the hoist. I'm not sure the exact meaning behind the flag or the group or ideal that it is intended to represent.
Randy Young, 4 January 2016

These protests are aimed at countering recent President Obama's Executive measures (www.forbes.com and www.washingtontimes.com) on gun control after several failed attempts to pass a Bill in Congress (http://www.huffingtonpost.com).

The AR-15 silhouette is most likely a symbol for allowing automatic weapons (like the AR-15 assault rifles) to be available for citizens to have. Criticism arose from both sides (those supporting the right to bear arms and also those supporting stricter controls) after a Texas (State) law allowing licensed firearms owners to carry handguns openly in public places took effect. The issue is precisely that: that States should regulate on this matter and not the Federal government.

Remember that this action (the right to carry guns) was commonplace during the Colonial Years, specially for allowing militias to be formed, in a period of Independence struggle (a.k.a. Revolutionary War). Since that is no more of a threat, people (specially those living in bordering States in the South) have advocated for the right to use them to prevent crime, trespassing, human and drug trafficking along the Mexican border.
Esteban Rivera, 5 January 2016