Just saw this today in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Josh Hendrickson of Rogers, MN, brought two concealed handguns to President Obama's health care rally in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday. He was seen by police and questioned, but not arrested.
Hendrickson, it turns out, was convicted for assault and just released from jail a few weeks ago.
UPDATE/clarification: Hendrickson was just released from jail on a charge of assault. Although the article does not explicitly say Hendrickson was convicted, he does say that the incident "cost him is job and 60 days in jail". The clear implication is that the 60 days was a sentence, i.e., he was indeed convicted. It is a felony for anyone convicted of assault (even misdemeanor assault) to possess a firearm in Minnesota.
Thanks to our fabulous Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota has been a conceal-carry state since 2003, which basically requires a county sheriff to issue a permit to carry a concealed handgun, with certain exceptions.
Hendrickson has a concealed carry permit. However, according to the conceal-carry law (MN statute 624.714), the sheriff is not required to issue a permit if the person is prohibited from carrying a firearm under other Minnesota statutes, including MN statute 624.713. And that law prohibits anyone from carrying a firearm in Minnesota if they have ever been convicted of a violent crime. (Minnesota statute 624.712 defines violent crime to include all forms of assault.)
Furthermore, according to 624.713,
A person named in subdivision 1, clause (2) [i.e., has committed a violent crime], who possesses any type of firearm is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 15 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $30,000, or both.
Now here's the interesting thing: Hendrickson was stopped on the street by Minneapolis police, and by the Secret Service, and questioned, at the rally on Saturday. But he was not arrested.
So here was a guy, just out of the joint after his conviction, therefore ineligible to possess a firearm under Minnesota law, standing on the street outside a Presidential venue carrying to pistols. Thus, he is committing another felony. And, as he is standing there committing this felony, he is being questioned by the cops, who do NOT arrest him.
It's easy to think of racism as the unjust things cops do to black people. Sometimes, racism is the unjust things cops let white guys get away with.