Open carry activists paraded assault rifles close to the Republican National Convention where a National Rifle Association speaker was greeted with cheers on Tuesday.

Clad in camouflage with weapons slung across their shoulders, advocates exercised their right to carry their guns in a public square, close to the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where delegates officially nominated Donald Trump as their presidential nominee.

Among the speakers at the convention Tuesday was National Rifle Association (NRA) executive director Chris Cox, who took the opportunity to target Hillary Clinton.

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Armed: Members of the open carry group West Ohio Minutemen gather in Public Square on the second day of the Republican National Convention

Rights: Tevor Leis (center) exercises his Ohio open carry rights in Public Square, Cleveland, on Tuesday

Micah Naziri (left) and Jaimes Campbell, advocates for open carry, patrol the streets of Cleveland

Ohio is among the states that allow licensed gun owners to carry their weapons in public. Pictured: Two men carry weapons in Cleveland

'We live in dangerous times. We're worried and we have reason to be because our government has failed to keep us safe. You have to be able to protect yourself and your family and that's what the Second Amendment is all about,' Cox said.

'A Hillary Clinton Supreme Court means your right to own a firearm is gone,' he added. 'Make no mistake, this election is not about the next four years, it's about the next 40 years.

'So voting for Hillary Clinton, or not voting, is simply not an option. What's so outrageous is that for the rest of her life, Hillary Clinton will never even think about dialing 911.

'For the past 30 years, she hasn't taken a walk, a nap or a bathroom break without a good guy with a gun there to protect her.'

He added: 'The only way we save it [the Second Amendment] is by electing Donald Trump the next president of the United States.'

Among those carrying weapons in the streets were members of the West Ohio Minutemen, a 'constitutional militia' who patrolled downtown Cleveland.

Among the speakers at the convention Tuesday was National Rifle Association executive director Chris Cox

Donald Trump turned up in Cleveland via video on Tuesday night for an unannounced speech

Member Trevor Lees, 23, told NBC News: 'We're here to make sure the police know they have some support.'

Even gun rights advocates have questioned whether people should be allowed to carry rifles and handguns during protests at the RNC in the wake of the shootings of six police officers in Baton Rouge Sunday.

Backers as well as opponents of Trump expressed concerns about the prospect of weapons being carried in open sight around the convention site.

Ohio is among the states that allow licensed gun owners to carry their weapons in public, and gun rights activists, particularly in Texas, have taken to expressing that right often in large-scale events.

In the so-called event zone at the Republican convention, a 1.7-square-mile area, authorities have banned items such as tennis balls, steel-pointed umbrellas and wood posts, but firearms are permitted under state law.

Clad in camouflage with weapons slung across their shoulders, advocates exercised their right to carry their guns in public

Members of the West Ohio Minutemen carry their assault weapons while patrolling downtown Cleveland

Among those carrying weapons in the streets were members of the West Ohio Minutemen (pictured)

In a smaller 'hard zone' surrounding the convention hall, which is temporarily under federal jurisdiction, guns are banned, meaning delegates cannot be armed on the convention floor.

The head of Cleveland's police union, however, on Sunday urged Ohio Governor John Kasich to suspend laws allowing the open display of firearms during the convention.

Kasich, who had challenged Trump for the Republican nomination, said he lacked the legal authority to take such a step.