Florida Carry, a pro-gun group, located in the Sunshine State, is planning a bit of a demonstration. They intend to park their cars and go fishing off Miami’s South Point Pier.

Not much of a demonstration, in and of itself. After all, people do that all the time.

The difference is, Florida Carry will be openly carrying firearms while they do it.

If you were planning on, say, enjoying a leisurely day at South Pointe Pier this Saturday, don’t be alarmed when you see a crowd of people openly carrying Glocks.

Sorry, I’m going to stop right here and lament the idiocy it takes to believe that “Glocks” is a synonym for “guns.” It’s not unless you’re in a rap video or something, for crying out loud, so how about we stop. Glock is a brand. After all, will everyone be carrying Glocks? Probably not. There will probably be a number of Smith & Wessons, Rugers, and a whole host of other brands as well.

Now that my mini-rant is over, back to the story:

Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales today sent a letter warning the mayor and commission that an unknown number of gun-rights activists planned to fish from the pier with their guns on display. They also plan to carry their weapons where everybody can see them while walking a mile and-a-half to and from the 12th Street Garage, despite the fact the city offered closer parking. This, for some reason, is all legal under a state statute. That’s the point the stunt, organized by Florida Carry, is trying to make. “The City Attorney’s Office and the Miami Beach Police Department have been communicating with the organizer in an attempt to plan for this event,” Morales wrote, “and the Police Department is preparing to accommodate the lawful activity of this group in a manner least likely to cause alarm to the public.” This past June, six members of the organization were stopped by Miami Beach Police during a similar event. The officers closed the pier, confiscated the weapons, and verified their licenses while detaining the group for about two hours. Once police concluded everything was legal, the men were released and their guns were returned to them. (The guns rights advocates posted a video of the encounter on YouTube.)

The fact that it’s legal is, of course, why they’re doing it. I understand and applaud it.

While I’m not a fan of open carry, it’s because I think it’s the wrong choice to make, I oppose any law that may ban it. I respect that some people disagree with me and prefer to open carry. I also respect that some people may agree with me from a tactical point of view, but prefer to open carry for political reasons. I may or may not agree with the decision, but I absolutely support people being able to make that choice for themselves.

From time to time, though, I think it’s a good idea to conduct a demonstration like this, to remind people that open carry is legal and, frankly, if you see someone with a gun strapped to their hip, they’re not the bad guys. After all, bad guys don’t want people to know they’re armed.

If I were a little closer to Miami, I’d probably show up to offer some support for these guys, because I absolutely support what they’re doing. If you’re in Miami, try and pop on over and show these guys some support.