Police say two men who were openly carrying assault rifles in Southeast Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood Wednesday were trying to demonstrate their Second Amendment rights and “educate the public”.

And while their actions were legal, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman said such a demonstration can divert officers away from possibly more urgent emergency calls.

It can also frighten people.

Steven M. Boyce, of Gresham, and Warren R. Drouin, of Medford, both 22, were spotted by officers about 1:50 p.m. near Southeast Seventh Avenue and Spokane Street.

But both have concealed handgun licenses, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman. They were not arrested because the rifles remained slung over their shoulders, he added.

Officers warned the duo that the sight of their rifles would generate 9-1-1 calls, but neither man seemed concerned, Simpson said. No shots were fired.

The two were also spotted in Gresham near Northeast Fourth Street and Hood Avenue on Wednesday and were allow to go without incident, Gresham police said.

Drouin has a YouTube channel where he documents encounters with police while walking with his rifle. He has videos from Eugene, Medford, Bend, Klamath Falls and other cities.

ORS 166.173 gives Oregon cities the authority to regulate possession of loaded firearms in public places. Portland is one of several cities that have imposed such a ban. However, people who have concealed handgun licenses are exempt from that regulation under the same law.

Similar cases of people openly displaying firearms are rare in Portland, Simpson said. And when they do, it’s usually a handgun.

“We support everyone’s constitutional rights, but we ask that they exercise them responsibly,” he said. “Anyone walking around with a visible firearm is going to generate calls from concerned citizens that we have to respond to. That takes resources away from potentially more serious incidents.”

Boyce and Drouin did, in fact, generate several emergency calls and caused at least one school to go into lockdown.

Creative Minds Learning Center in the 7700 block of Southeast 13th Avenue went into lockdown and sent an email to parents informing them of armed men in the neighborhood.

“We’ve been keeping the kids away from the windows,” said Meredith Cone, the school’s director. “It sounds unusual, but everyone here is safe and happy.”

Karl Janiak, who lives in the 1000 block of Southeast Spokane Street, said he was home with his wife when Boyce and Drouin were passing through, but did not see them.

He said he supports the Second Amendment, grew up in Alaska using guns to hunt and take target practice. He also owns a firearm, but said he was upset by the duo’s actions.

“Someone could have spotted them, felt threatened and the situation easily could have escalated because someone felt they had to make a statement that’s already in the Constitution,” Janiak said. “When you purchase and own a gun, you owe it to the community to be responsible with it.”

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