“If people know that you’re a serious person and you’re going to protect yourself, they’re not going to be as quick to mess with you,” she said.
Following the anti-ICE disruption at City Hall on Wednesday night, a Portland City Council member proposed allowing councilors to open carry firearms in the chambers. Loretta Smith, a Democrat, called the incident a “mini insurrection” and believes councilors need to take greater precautions to protect themselves from leftist agitators.
Smith, who represents District 1, drafted a city ordinance that would allow lawmakers to open carry while conducting official city business. Smith told OPB that she has never carried a firearm before, but now feels the need to do so. “It’s a defensive mechanism,” she said. “If people know that you’re a serious person and you’re going to protect yourself, they’re not going to be as quick to mess with you.”