Armand Emamdjomeh

They came from as far as San Jose to a beach known for its “clothing-optional” policy, but the 21 participants at the Bay Area Open Carry meeting were fully clothed and then some.

Most of those in attendance at Baker Beach on Saturday were walking around with unloaded handguns, carrying them legally under a law that took effect on Feb. 22. The law allows individuals to carry unloaded, unconcealed firearms in most federal parks. In recent months, Open Carry has met in cafes and restaurants with firearms displayed as part of an effort to highlight the right to openly carry an unloaded weapon. Some businesses have asked the group not to meet in their establishments.



The scene on Saturday had more than a touch of the surreal about it: I was walking alongside Jon Schwartz and Vladimir Butsky during a tsunami warning as the two picked up trash with handguns strapped to their hip and thigh, respectively. In the distance, a naked man frolicked on the beach.

Though the group attracted more than a couple stares and double-takes, most passersby seemed either not to care or pretended not to notice. But a distance away from the group, one man stood with a photo and video camera.

“I saw these guys carrying guns, and I was shocked,” said Brad Lawrence, 37, who lives nearby in Sea Cliff, and goes to the beach to take pictures of the bridge and video of the nudes. On this day, though, his lenses were pointed toward the guns.

“So I can tell my friends and show my neighbors,” he said. “They won’t believe this.”

Mr. Lawrence said he was afraid of guns and started breathing a little heavy when one of the group members approached him to see what he was doing.

“They seem like perfectly nice people,” Mr. Lawrence said. But as to the guns? “Personally, I don’t like it,” he said.