The activist group, Patriot Prayer, began one of three scheduled rallies today on the closed Clark College campus to demonstrate opposition of initiative 1639.
By Clark County Today · October 23, 2018
Nick Gibson, of Camas, holds a sign in opposition of Initiative 1639 atop the Evergreen Boulevard overpass in Vancouver. I-1639 would increase background checks for firearm purchases, as well as raise the age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Photo by Mike Schultz
Activists from Patriot Prayer hold rally at closed campus
VANCOUVER — The activist group known as Patriot Prayer, held the first of three scheduled rallies at the closed Clark College campus Monday.Clark College President Bob Knight closed the campus in reaction to the potential for violence at the rally.Nick Gibson, of Camas, holds a sign in opposition of Initiative 1639 atop the Evergreen Boulevard overpass in Vancouver. I-1639 would increase background checks for firearm purchases, as well as raise the age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Photo by Mike SchultzThe group focused today’s event on voicing opposition of Washington’s Initiative 1639. The initiative centers on increased background checks for the purchase of firearms, increasing the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21 and criminalize non-compliant storage of firearms if unauthorized use occurs.Joey Gibson, a native of Clark County, is the founder of Patriot Prayer, and announced plans for the rallies last week. “Freedom first,” Gibson said, standing atop the Evergreen Boulevard overpass across I-5. “With every single policy question, you ask yourself, ‘Does this increase our freedoms or decrease our freedoms?’ We’re at a point right now where we’ve already lost way too many freedoms. We don’t need more rules, we don’t need more regulations, we need less.”For more information regarding campus closures, rally locations and safety recommendations, visit the websites of Clark College and WSUV.Members of Patriot Prayer debate with new arrivals to their rally at Clark College. Photo by Mike SchultzJoey Gibson, founder of Patriot Prayer, talks with reporters while his group demonstrates atop the Evergreen Boulevard overpass in Vancouver. Photo by Mike SchultzVancouver Police Department bicycle officers at the patriot Prayer rally on Clark College’s closed campus. Photo by Mike SchultzA member of Patriot Prayer holds up an American flag during a rally in Vancouver on Oct. 22. Photo by Mike SchultzCommunity member and previous candidate for mayor of Vancouver, Steven Cox, speaks at a Patriot Prayer rally at Clark College on Oct. 22. Photo by Mike SchultzMembers of Patriot Prayer walk from Clark College to the Evergreen Boulevard overpass in Vancouver during a rally opposing I-1639 on Oct. 22. Photo by Mike Schultz