Garner group gathers to protect gun rights

GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- Gun rights supporters gathered in Garner Sunday for a second amendment rally.

The Greater Garner Republican Club hosted the event that was the first of its kind for the community.

Organizers said the goal of the rally was to share their message and to serve as an educational tool.

For those in attendance, the rally was about celebrating what they describe as a fundamental freedom, the right to bear arms, and they are passionate about protecting that right.

"They're concerned about their rights, they're concerned about what could happen, they don't want their right taken away and they just need to know that it can't be taken away so long as they stand up for it," said Greater Garner Republican Club member Becky Matthews.

The debate over gun control has spiked since the Newtown shooting, with some calling for greater gun control and the ban of assault weapons. While gun rights supporters believe those events were tragic, they don't believe the answer is to take away or dilute the rights of other law-abiding citizens.

"All the tragedy and all the bad things are equated to people who have guns or love guns, and actually those people who love their guns it's because they love their children and they love their community. We believe the answer to bad people with guns is those law-abiding citizens," gun rights supporter Bobby Fowler said.

Some supporters even point to an incident this past week in Atlanta where a student opened fire at his middle school, but was stopped by an armed guard at the school.

"It's important that we protect ourselves. It's important to protect the children as well as our own families," Matthews said.

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