Hancock and Tompkins went on inside. The police at the station, very uncomfortable with the situation, and realizing the potential for public reaction, filed no charges at all. It was refreshing, in fact, to find at least one police sergeant who spoke sincerely about his duty to defend the Constitution, and was concerned that Hancock's rights had been violated. It remains to be decided what further action Hancock will take. It will be a shameful tragedy if it ever becomes necessary for the people to use their Second Amendment rights to restore their First Amendment rights.
Libertarians disavow the initiation of force.
But there are many in this country who are not so peacefully inclined, and as the government continues to close the doors on peaceful avenues of redress of grievance, the potential for violence increases. The suit asks for unspecified damages as a result of violations of the First and 14th Amendments. This article is reprinted from Arizona Libertarian, the state party newsletter.