The U.S. Park Police and the Washington, D.C., police are jointly investigating a YouTube video that shows gun-rights activist Adam Kokesh breaking the District of Columbia’s strict gun-control laws by loading a shotgun in front of Washington’s Freedom Plaza.

Kokesh was the main organizer of a planned pro-gun protest set for July 4, in which 1,000 demonstrators would march across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C. The march was cancelled.

The 23-second video posted on YouTube in connection with the march showed Kokesh methodically loading the weapon to emphasize a short speech, that included, “We will not be silent. We will not obey. We will not allow our government to destroy our humanity. We are the final American Revolution.”

According to the Washington Post, police are trying to authenticate the video, but it will be interesting to see how the case is handled from there.

When “Meet the Press” host David Gregory used a 30-round magazine as a prop during a nationally broadcast interview with National Rifle Association Executive Director Wayne LaPierre in December, he broke a District of Columbia law that bans large-capacity magazines.

In that case, the district’s attorney general’s office declined to prosecute because it said NBC staffers might have not understood that possession of the magazine was illegal.

However, according to a Politico report, District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin Nathan also wrote that the decision was based partly on “our recognition that the intent of the temporary possession and short display of the magazine was to promote the First Amendment purpose of informing an ongoing public debate about firearms policy in the United States.”

So, will the authorities now decide that what Kokesh did was also OK? After all, “the intent of the temporary possession and short display of the (shotgun) was to promote the First Amendment purpose of informing an ongoing public debate about firearms policy in the United States.”

Two cases of video evidence. Two cases of men trying to inform the public debate about guns.

Will they be treated the same?

Watch the Kokesh and Gregory videos, and see what you think.

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Joe Saunders

Joe Saunders, a 25-year newspaper veteran, is a staff writer and editor for BizPac Review who lives in Tallahassee and covers capital and Florida politics. Email Joe at [email protected].

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