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At an Phoenix rally this week in which U.S. President Barack Obama was among the speakers, a man who identified himself to local reporters as "Chris" stood with an AR-15 assault rifle slung over his shoulder. He was one of about a dozen to openly carry a guns to the event.

Is that legal?

In Arizona, yes. The state has some of the most relaxed gun laws in the country, including an "open carry" law permitting almost any adult to carry a visible weapon, including assault rifles.

To get a permit to carry a concealed gun in Arizona, an individual need only be over 21, not be in the country illegally, have no criminal record or mental illnesses, and must have taken a gun safety course.

Broader "right to carry" laws vary from state to state. Forty-eight allow some type of gun possession in public, though only 40 states have relaxed enough standards to satisfy the National Rifle Association. Two states, Alaska and Vermont, have almost no restrictions whatsoever. New Hampshire (where another man was seen near an Obama rally this month carrying a gun in a thigh holster) was one of the first states to introduce a right-to-carry law.

The NRA contends that the right-to-carry laws of eight states, including California and New York, are too restrictive. Only two states prohibit the carrying of guns: Wisconsin and Illinois, Mr. Obama's home state.

Chris, the Arizona man who was protesting against the President's policies, was monitored by police while near the President, but not charged. It's a far cry from the treatment dissenters faced under the George W. Bush administration. At a July 4 rally Mr. Bush attended five years ago, police arrested a West Virginia couple for wearing shirts bearing the word "Bush" with a line drawn through it. The two were charged with trespassing.



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