Some Protest Groups Plan to Exercise Open Carry Rights at the RNC in Cleveland

Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams says that they have an existing process that will be "ramped up" for the Republican National Convention regarding open carry.

This existing process may be tested next week during the RNC as several protest groups have already announced their plans to carry guns while protesting.

"If it is an open state to carry, we will exercise our second amendment rights because there are other groups threatening to be there that are threatening to do harm to us," New Black Panther Party Chairman Hashim Nzinga told Reuters.

Weapons of any type are not allowed inside the secure zone at the RNC but beyond that perimeter, everything falls under the jurisdiction of Ohio law which does allow open carry. This has many people worried. The head of Bikers for Trump told CNN that he fears Ohio's gun laws could turn the streets of Cleveland into the "OK Corral."

"We're anticipating a victory dance, but it sounds like there's a lot of agitators and a lot of troublemakers coming to town," Chris Cox of Bikers for Trump told CNN. "What happens remains to be seen, but you can definitely count on the Bikers for Trump standing with the police department in the event they need it."

CNN reports the the Cleveland Clinic has told doctors and surgeons to remain on call and is ready for any situation where the hospital could be cut off from supplies for the duration of the convention.

[Image by Lars Plougmann, Flickr Wikimedia Commons CC]