Making matters worse, Ohio's open-carry gun laws have the head of "Bikers for Trump" telling CNN that Cleveland's streets could turn into "the O.K. Corral."
State law does not regulate the carrying of guns, meaning that entrants to the convention's 1.7 square mile secure "event zone" are prohibited from bringing, among other things, weapons like swords, hatchets, axes, slingshots, BB guns, pellet guns and metal knuckles, but will be allowed to openly hold live firearms. (Guns are not permitted inside the arena itself, which has a ban on "weapons of any kind.")
"We're anticipating a victory dance, but it sounds like there's a lot of agitators and a lot of troublemakers coming to town," Chris Cox of Bikers for Trump said on Tuesday. "What happens remains to be seen, but you can definitely count on the Bikers for Trump standing with the police department in the event they need it."
The police department -- currently under federal oversight by the Department of Justice after being cited in 2014 for "a pattern or practice of the use of excessive force" -- will be prepared for the worst, with millions of dollars in body armor and tactical weaponry.
The Cleveland Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Doctors and surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic have also been told to remain on call -- and prepared for a situation in which the hospital is cut off from outside aid and supplies -- for the convention's four days, according to a report from Stat News, which covers health care.
On Wednesday, Amnesty International USA announced it would be sending "human rights observers" to both Cleveland and Philadelphia, which will host the Democratic convention from July 25-28.
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