Anti-Lockdown Protestors Have Gone 'A Step Too Far,' Says Sue O'Connell

Virus Outbreak Protests — Protesters rally at the State Capitol in Lansing, Mich. Gun-carrying protesters have been a common sight at some demonstrations calling for coronavirus-related restrictions to be lifted. But an armed militia’s involvement in an angry protest in the Michigan statehouse Thursday marked an escalation that drew condemnation and shone a spotlight on the practice of bringing weapons to protest.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

May 15, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

Political commentator Sue O'Connell spoke to Boston Public Radio on Friday about anti-lockdown protesters, who she said are laregly white men holding weapons and protesting at state legislatures.

"You've got a handful of people armed to the teeth basically to demand their right to kill us with the virus," she said. "As a former NRA member, and a nationally ranked sharp shooter, I want to make clear that it's not that I think people should or shouldn't own recreational weapons, but there's no way, in this day in age, that if African-Americans showed up like that anywhere, they'd be treated the same."

It is not normal to carry weapons while protesting, O'Connell added. "I support their right to protest and express their opinions, but this is just a step too far."