The head of the Cleveland police union is asking Ohio governor John Kasch to restrict the open carry rights of GOP convention goers in the wake of the killing of police in Baton Rouge.

CNN:

"We are sending a letter to Gov. Kasich requesting assistance from him. He could very easily do some kind of executive order or something -- I don't care if it's constitutional or not at this point," Stephen Loomis, president of Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, told CNN. "They can fight about it after the RNC or they can lift it after the RNC, but I want him to absolutely outlaw open-carry in Cuyahoga County until this RNC is over."

So-called "open carry" gun laws in Ohio allow for licensed firearm owners to wear their weapons in public. With the exception of a small "secure zone" inside and around the Quicken Loans Arena, residents, delegates and protesters are legally permitted to walk around the city -- including within its 1.7 square mile regulated "event zone" -- with any firearm not explicitly banned by the state.

Kasich, responding to the request, said: "Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested."

"The bonds between our communities and police must be reset and rebuilt -- as we're doing in Ohio -- so our communities and officers can both be safe. Everyone has an important role to play in that renewal," he said.

Loomis may not care if the restrictions are constitutional "at this point," but thank goodness Governor Kasich does.

I fail to see the logic in trashing the Constitution for some nebulous gain in security.  Besides, there have been events attended by thousands in states like Texas with open carry with absolutely no trouble at all.

Of course, the convention is different because of all the left-wing radicals who will also be on hand to counter Trump supporters.  They, too, are likely to be armed.  More to the point, they are set on embarrassing the GOP and Donald Trump.

While you can understand the concerns that Loomis has for his officers, the answer is never to deny the rights of protesters or attendees to defend themselves.  The large presence of armed officers should deter anyone except the mentally ill from engaging in dangerous behavior.