Boulder police ignore open carry violations at protest

Boulder police say they made a decision to not enforce the city’s open carry restrictions during a recent protest because doing so might have escalated the situation.

The Daily Camera reports that residents rallied Saturday afternoon in opposition to the City Council’s proposed ban on assault weapons. Currently, it’s illegal in Boulder to openly carry a firearm unless it’s held in a carrying case. But some people at the protest ignored the city law by walking around with rifles slung over their shoulders.

A police statement from City Attorney Tom Carr said that “to avoid conflict during protests, the police sometimes make a tactical decision not to enforce a particular law if enforcement would create more conflict.”

The statement says the department’s primary job is to protect public safety.