Roving Presidents apparently alter a location's legal status.

[Tonitrus]

An article from CNN.com.  Primarily the bold part, I don't recall that legal status being codified, but who knows these days...

Man carries assault rifle to Obama protest -- and it's legal

   
PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- A man toting an assault rifle was among a dozen protesters carrying weapons while demonstrating outside President Obama's speech to veterans on Monday, but no laws were broken. It was the second instance in recent days in which weapons have been seen near presidential events.
A man is shown legally carrying a rifle at a protest against President Obama on Monday in Phoenix, Arizona.

A man is shown legally carrying a rifle at a protest against President Obama on Monday in Phoenix, Arizona.

Video from the protest in Phoenix, Arizona, shows the man standing with other protesters, with the rifle slung over his right shoulder.

Phoenix police said authorities monitored about a dozen people carrying weapons while peacefully demonstrating.

"It was a group interested in exercising the right to bear arms," police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill said.

Arizona law has nothing in the books regulating assault rifles, and only requires permits for carrying concealed weapons. So despite the man's proximity to the president, there were no charges or arrests to be made. Hill said officers explained the law to some people who were upset about the presence of weapons at the protest. Video Watch the rifle being legally carried at rally »

"I come from another state where 'open carry' is legal, but no one does it, so the police don't really know about it and they harass people, arrest people falsely," the man, who wasn't identified, said in an interview aired by CNN affiliate KNVX. "I think that people need to get out and do it more so that they get kind of conditioned to it."

Gun-toting protesters have demonstrated around the president before. Last week, a man protesting outside Obama's town hall meeting in New Hampshire had a gun strapped to his thigh. That state also doesn't require a license for open carry.
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U.S. Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan acknowledged the incidents in New Hampshire and Arizona, but said he was not aware of any other recent events where protesters attended with open weapons. He said there was no indication that anyone had organized the incidents.

Asked whether the individuals carrying weapons jeopardized the safety of the president, Donovan said, "Of course not."

The individuals would never have gotten in close proximity to the president, regardless of any state laws on openly carrying weapons, he said. A venue is considered a federal site when the Secret Service is protecting the president and weapons are not allowed on a federal site, he added.
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In both instances, the men carrying weapons were outside the venues where Obama was speaking.

"We pay attention to this obviously ... to someone with a firearm when they open carry even when they are within state law," Donovan said. "We work with our law enforcement counterparts to make sure laws and regulations in their states are enforced."

So I guess this means, if one were to steal someone's purse at a presidential speech, it's a federal crime.

[Martinus]

I wonder if flowers wither and die in his wake, too. 

[Martinus]

I also wonder if the President's Federal Aura deals damage per tick to all enemies of the state in a 30 yard radius.

[Ed Anger]

Asked whether the individuals carrying weapons jeopardized the safety of the president, Donovan said, "Of course not."

I'd love to see the fed snipers take one of the open carry nuts out. On live TV.

I might start watching Obama speeches again.

[Neil]

I also wonder if the President's Federal Aura deals damage per tick to all enemies of the state in a 30 yard radius.

A 'tick' is not a unit of time.

[KRonn]

Making a political statement by carrying their guns to a Presidential speech? I guess. But I'm glad to see that, apparently, the gun toting dudes can still be kept away due to the Federal location status thingy. I don't have too much a problem with legal gun ownership, but this stuff of carrying guns to a Pres speech has me shaking my head. I guess they can legally but that doesn't mean they should or that it's a cool idea.

[Zanza]

A 'tick' is not a unit of time.

I think 'tick' is the generally accepted name for the smallest unit of time of a computer's system time.

[Capetan Mihali]

Of course it becomes a federal site in the presence of the sovereign.  L'etat, c'est Obama. 

[The Brain]

If you clobber someone to death with one of Obama's firmer turds you're going to federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison?

[Sheilbh]

I don't have too much a problem with legal gun ownership, but this stuff of carrying guns to a Pres speech has me shaking my head. I guess they can legally but that doesn't mean they should or that it's a cool idea.

Yeah I can't think of any precedent or any but the worst of possible messages they're trying to send

Apparently Obama'll be the first President to not get lifetime Secret Service protection.  I think it was cut in the 90s to take effect in 10 years or so.  So W Bush is the last to have it.  I think Obama gets it for the 10 years after he leaves office.

[Ed Anger]

I don't have too much a problem with legal gun ownership, but this stuff of carrying guns to a Pres speech has me shaking my head. I guess they can legally but that doesn't mean they should or that it's a cool idea.

Yeah I can't think of any precedent or any but the worst of possible messages they're trying to send

Apparently Obama'll be the first President to not get lifetime Secret Service protection.  I think it was cut in the 90s to take effect in 10 years or so.  So W Bush is the last to have it.  I think Obama gets it for the 10 years after he leaves office.

W's will cut off after 10 years but they are talking of extending it for him, since he is #1 on the Islamic fruitcake hitlist.

[Grey Fox]

I don't have too much a problem with legal gun ownership, but this stuff of carrying guns to a Pres speech has me shaking my head. I guess they can legally but that doesn't mean they should or that it's a cool idea.

Yeah I can't think of any precedent or any but the worst of possible messages they're trying to send

Apparently Obama'll be the first President to not get lifetime Secret Service protection.  I think it was cut in the 90s to take effect in 10 years or so.  So W Bush is the last to have it.  I think Obama gets it for the 10 years after he leaves office.

IIRC, Obama will have lifetime protection. Some SS official said so back in September.

[MadImmortalMan]

IIRC, Obama will have lifetime protection. Some SS official said so back in September.

I thought that was standard.

[Grey Fox]

As stated by Sheilbh in the quoted post. Now they are suppose to only get 10 years after they leave office.

[Richard Hakluyt]

This seems a strange time to reduce the protection extended to former presidents, probably seemed reasonable when the decision was taken of course.