Staff Reports
A tragic shooting at the “No Kings Rally” in Salt Lake City on June 14, 2025, underscores the vital need to defend Second Amendment rights against overzealous amateurs playing cop. Arturo Gamboa, a 24-year-old exercising his lawful open carry under Utah’s permissive laws, brandished an unloaded AR-15-style rifle at the protest. Armed volunteer “security” mistook his constitutional exercise for a threat, opening fire and striking Gamboa twice while fatally wounding innocent bystander Alfa Aloo. This chaos reveals how gun-grabbers’ fearmongering turns everyday patriots into targets, proving open carry protects law-abiding citizens from real threats—not paranoid posers.
Gamboa’s nightmare didn’t end with the bullets. Despite breaking no laws, police arrested him on murder suspicion of murder, treating a wounded victim like the villain simply for daring to carry in public. He stayed silent for months, recovering from gunshot wounds while the system ground him down. Prosecutors eventually dropped all charges against him, vindicating his innocence and exposing the shooter’s recklessness. In a sane America, heroes like Gamboa get medals, not cuffs—yet anti-2A zealots rush to demonize the tool that keeps tyrants at bay.
The real culprit? That trigger-happy volunteer, now facing charges for his deadly blunder. This incident demands accountability: self-appointed guardians without proper training endanger everyone, blurring the lines between defense and madness. True security comes from trained law enforcement and armed citizens who know the law, not weekend warriors fueled by media-driven panic. Gamboa’s unloaded rifle posed zero danger, but the shooter’s itchy finger turned a peaceful rally into a bloodbath— a stark reminder that bad shoots, not good guys with guns, fuel the violence leftists love to exploit.
Conservatives have long warned that eroding gun rights invites disaster, and this rally proves it. Utah’s open carry laws work because they empower responsible adults, not disarm them in the face of rising crime under weak Biden-era policies. Lawmakers must double down on training requirements for armed volunteers and shield open carriers from witch hunts. Gamboa’s vindication is a win for freedom, but Alfa Aloo’s death demands we purge vigilante nonsense and reaffirm that the Second Amendment saves lives.
As America awakens to reclaim its liberties under bold leadership, cases like this rally us to stand firm. Gun owners face constant smears, yet they protect communities where police can’t always reach. Protecting open carry isn’t optional—it’s our bulwark against chaos. Let Gamboa’s story fuel the fight: arm up, train up, and never back down from defending the rights that make us free.
