More than 6,000 people have signed an online petition calling for firearms to be allowed at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.
The petition was filed on Monday by Americans for Responsible Open Carry,
Ohio.com reports, and had an initial goal of 5,000 signatures.
But as of late Thursday, 6,753 people had signed the petition, according to a Newsmax check.
The convention will be held in the
Quicken Loans Arena on July 18-21. The venue bars weapons from the site, even though Ohio is an open-carry state, according to
the petition.
The Secret Service banned guns at the RNC convention in Tampa four years ago.
"This is a direct affront to the Second Amendment and puts all attendees at risk," the petition says, citing comments from the National Rifle Association opposing "gun-free zones" and pledges by the three Republican presidential candidates — including Ohio Gov. John Kasich — to eliminate them.
"Cleveland, Ohio is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 most-dangerous cities in America," the petition says, referencing a Forbes magazine story. "By forcing attendees to leave their firearms at home, the RNC and Quicken Loans Arena are putting tens of thousands of people at risk both inside and outside of the convention site."
Neither the Ohio Republican Party nor the local planning committee was aware of the petition, Ohio.com reports.
Alee Lockman, a convention spokeswoman, said that the Secret Service was organizing security plans with city, county, state and federal authorities.
"They are coordinating and will be continuously refining security plans leading up to the national convention," she said.
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