DEARBORN, MI - Two open-carry advocates arrested when they walked into a police station wearing tactical gear and hauling firearms are now charged with felonies.

James Baker, left, and Brandon Vreeland

Brandon Vreeland, 40, of Jackson and James Baker, 24, of Leonard are accused of carrying a concealed weapon, punishable by up to five years in prison; and disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor, according to a statement from the city of Dearborn.

Vreeland, vocal and cursing at police during the videotaped confrontation, is additionally charged with resisting arrest, which carries a maximum prison penalty of two years. Baker is accused of brandishing a weapon, a misdemeanor, his lawyer Nicholas Somberg said.

The two appeared Friday, Feb. 24, in 19th District Court in Dearborn.

"I think they are doing this just to flex their muscle," Somberg said of the upped charges.

Initially, the men were accused of only misdemeanors.

"The ultimate objective is public safety or everyone; including police officers," Dearborn Chief Ronald Haddad said in the statement. An effort late Friday afternoon to reach the chief for additional comment was not successful.

"The facts and evidence on the case support the charges that we believe can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court," Maria Miller of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office wrote in an email response to questions about the felony charges.

Somberg said they did nothing illegal and lack violent pasts. They do not have permits to carry concealed weapons, but he says they openly carry guns, activity Michigan law does not prohibit.

Both men are in jail. District Judge Eugene Hunt set Vreeland's bond at $20,000. Baker's bond was set at $50,000. Somberg called this "exorbitant."

Hunt said Baker posed a risk to the public. He called the situation "very serious," according to a video of the court proceedings posted by WDIV-TV, Channel 4.

On Feb. 5, Baker was wearing a military-style rifle slung across his shoulder, a side arm and a balaclava mask when he and Vreeland, who was unarmed and operating camera equipment, walked into the Dearborn Police Department.

Officers confronted them with guns drawn. Baker was ordered to put down his weapons and an officer threatened to shoot him.

"I'm unarmed, you stop pointing your (expletive) gun at me," Vreeland says in the video. " ... I'm here to file a complaint."

The two had been stopped earlier in the day upon reports of two "suspicious" men in a vehicle wearing tactical vests, according to Dearborn police.

"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.

The officer eventually tells Vreeland he is free to go and is welcome to file a complaint. Vreeland promises to do so and tells the officer to "go (expletive) yourself."

Both men have a history of such activity. Their lawyer calls them activists. The two frequently perform "audits" of authorities' respect for gun rights.

Vreeland, clearly hostile toward law enforcement, has a Jackson Cop Block YouTube channel 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.

Baker has organized numerous open-carry walks in Detroit and other cities with an organization he helped create named the Hell's Saints.

In the video posted by WDIV-TV, a police sergeant called them "professional provocateurs" who embrace the idea of being the "public enemy" and are pushing police to use deadly force.

Somberg said the men were ordered to turn over all their firearms to police.

Earlier this month, police seized: a loaded AP-14 firearm and a rifle magazine containing 47 rounds; a loaded Glock 19 handgun with four additional magazines; body armor and ballistic vests; a mask; a gun belt and several pieces of camera equipment.

The next court date is scheduled for March 10.

Somberg is urging supporters to come to court hearing as a show of solidarity for the two men, just as about a dozen officers attended the Friday hearing. He set up a Facebook event page with a main image of George Washington crossing the Delaware River.

The Michigan Open Carry president earlier called the men's behavior "reckless" and attention-seeking.