DEARBORN, MI - The attorney for two open carry advocates arrested this week at a Dearborn police station says his clients were ambushed by police officers who knew they were gun-toting activists and met them with weapons drawn.

"They wanted to teach them a lesson and that is not their job," said Nicholas Somberg, who is representing Brandon Vreeland, 40, of Jackson and James Baker, 24, of Leonard.

The two men are to be arraigned Feb. 24 in District Court in Dearborn. Each is charged with three misdemeanors, including disturbing the peace. None of the alleged offenses involve firearms, noted Somberg, who says the men did nothing illegal when they walked, armed and wearing tactical vests, Sunday into the Dearborn Police Department.

Baker had an assault rifle, a sidearm and a balaclava, a mask worn by military personnel. Vreeland carried a tripod and a camera.

They had been stopped earlier in the day upon reports of two "suspicious" men in a vehicle wearing tactical vests, according to Dearborn police. The two were then invited to the police department to file a complaint, Somberg said.

"We haven't done anything wrong. We haven't broken any laws. We are done with this," Vreeland tells the officer in a video posted on YouTube.

He refuses a request to search the vehicle. "This is an illegal detention at this point. You better get your s--- straight."

The officer tells Vreeland he free to go and is welcome to file a complaint. Vreeland promises to do so "right as soon as we leave here." He tells the officer to "go (expletive) yourself."

At the station, police immediately ordered them to drop the weapons. One of them threatened to shoot Baker. Somberg said there were officers on a balcony or upper area with long guns. He contends police were ready for them.

Baker and Vreeland commonly "audit" law enforcement authorities to determine whether they recognize citizens' rights to openly carry guns - there is no law prohibiting this. Vreeland has a Jackson Cop Block YouTube channel, a website and a Facebook page with dozens of videos taken in Jackson and elsewhere. He is often in a tactical vest with an assault rifle and a body camera. There are videos at the Canadian border and the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

Somberg said he and Baker have no history of violence and police are aware of their activities; there are warnings in their information systems. He likened the actions of police Sunday to ordering a steak and then flipping the table and blaming the waiter when it arrives as ordered.

"Their plan was to ambush these guys," he said.

"It's like a political attack."

In addition to disturbing the peace, Vreeland is charged with resisting arrest and failing to cooperate or follow police commands. Baker is accused of obstructing his face with a mask and failing to cooperate with booking procedures.

"I find this behavior totally unacceptable and irresponsible. This is not a Second Amendment issue for me. We had members of the public in our lobby that fled in fear for their safety as these men entered our building," Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said in a statement.

The president of Michigan Open Carry Inc. condemned the men's methods as reckless and attention-seeking.

Somberg said he was not concerned about any perception that their actions were extreme or provocative; as their lawyer, the only issue to consider is whether they were behaving legally, as he says they were.

Masks, he said, are not prohibited unless they are worn with criminal intent.

People are allowed to be controversial or offensive, he said. This is what activism is about. It was outrageous when Rosa Parks sat at the front of the bus, he said.