As Tone Deaf reported, Splendour In The Grass recently became the latest major music festival to place a ban on the controversial selfie stick, adding it to the list of items not prohibited on festival grounds, including flares, flammable liquids, and projectiles.
Venues and festivals around the world have been banning the much-criticised stocking stuffer, claiming that it not only obscures the view of patrons around the user, but could potentially prove dangerous, as fellow punters could be struck by or impaled on the item.
The organisers of the Norman Music Festival in Norman, Oklahoma presumably had similar safety concerns in mind when they decided to place a ban on firearms within their festival grounds. However, following legal action from irate gun lovers, their ban was struck down.
As local outlet NewsOK reports, licensed handgun carriers were able to bring their firearms with them to the Norman Music Festival, as a temporary restraining order issued last week prohibited the city and organisers from enforcing a no-gun policy during the outdoor portion of the event.
The three-day festival opens with indoor events on Thursday and Friday, where guns are generally prohibited on the property. However, the festival moves to an outdoor stage setup on Main and Gray streets on the Saturday, thereby placing the event on city property.
Earlier this month, District Judge Thad Balkman ruled in favour of a gun advocacy group that sought a temporary restraining order to allow members to legally carry guns during the outdoor portion of the festival.
According to the judge, the city of Norman could not give up control of public sidewalks and streets to music festival organisers, and because the outdoor portion of the festival is on a four-block area of public land, a ban on licensed gun carriers cannot be enforced.
However, attorneys said they would return to court after the festival is over to present evidence on the request by the Second Amendment Association for a temporary injunction. Assistant City Attorney Rick Knighton said it’s important to get a full hearing on the issue as Norman hosts a large number of events.
Meanwhile, Norman Music Festival organisers say it’s important to get a more permanent court ruling as they plan to hold the festival again next year and would still like to be able to prohibit people from, you know, carrying firearms around their event.
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The temporary restraining order will dissolve as soon as a hearing begins on whether a temporary injunction should be issued, Knighton said. Originally, Judge Balkman had set a hearing for last Thursday to hear arguments for and against the temporary injunction.
Knighton said the city issues special event permits to organisers of festivals “because we can’t afford to put these events on. So we grant them special permits, and they do the work and assume the liability. We feel like they have the right to set their own rules”.
If the temporary restraining order is allowed to stand and an injunction is issued, Knighton said, “the city worries about its liability at these events”. Naturally, any city would want to avoid a reputation as the place that hosts an annual music and guns party.
However, Cohlmia is arguing that no municipality can enforce a “no-gun” policy for licensed carriers on public streets, sidewalks, or city parks, because it constitutes an infringement of Second Amendment rights.
