Exercise Your Right to Carry!
Westcliffe, CO 2nd Amendment Section of the 4th of July Parade in 2026
I’m sorry for the short notice, but I was recently reminded that the 2nd Amendment contingent in the Westcliffe, CO 4th of July Parade will go on as usual despite the untimely and sad passing of George Gramlich. George, as many know, owned and operated the Sangre de Cristo Sentinel in Westcliffe until his death, providing a conservative perspective to the news in that part of the state. The value that the Sentinel brought to the lives of the conservative contingent of the population, giving them relevant articles and from a perspective they held themselves, was immeasurable.
One asks why a town of around 800 people was able to support two print newspapers and the answer is George Gramlich. He, along with his team, was dedicated to offering more than just the news. I shared copies of the Sentinel with friends here in Texas and it was a newspaper that served both the local and national focus, so it was well received and fit right in with the type of coverage they were looking for. It had a decidedly Christian and patriotic voice, something few other papers offer to the reading public.
George covered the county commission meetings with humor and insight and I never got tired of reading the pieces he wrote for the paper. To that end, he helped to have several commissioners recalled and helped others to win elections against some of the worst liberal/communist commissioners.
He pointed out in one of his articles, as I recall, that one of the county commissioners recently purchased an expensive vehicle and found that it was registered in Texas. To explain this, I know from personal experience that registering a vehicle in Colorado requires paying taxes on the value of the vehicle, not the sales price, and this is calculated every year, so an expensive vehicle registered in Colorado will have a hefty licensing fee every year. In Texas, sales tax is calculated when the vehicle is purchased and the next year it can be registered for $75. That’s it, no recurring tax on the value in order to renew plates. It was that sort of underhanded, scheming activity that he exposed and keeping an eye on the rats was a full time job, one that has since gone unheralded as far as I know.
Recently, however, some of those involved in the operation of the Sentinel have done an interesting thing, they intend, or already are, doing something to both honor the valuable role that the Sentinel played in local and state politics and George himself. They’ve started something called the Sangre de Cristo Sentry, which, as I understand it, is like a newsletter that points out important events and local calls to action. A Minute Man sort of role for the local population. I give them all my prayers and encouragement to do so.
The first act, I assume, is to alert folks to the idea of attending this year’s 4th of July parade and joining in the Second Amendment section of the parade. This is usually done by open carry, but contact organizers to find out what state the firearm must be in to march in the parade, i.e., unloaded, slung, etc. I just don’t know. It should be known that unless something has changed, Colorado had always been an open carry state and the purpose of the contingent is to drive that fact home to the liberal whinemakers who fear the thought of a weapon, but they seem to overcome that fear when they intend to do violence to conservatives and Republican politicians.
I can also attest, from personal experience, that joining in this 2nd Amendment contingent of the parade is an awesome feeling. It should also be known, if it isn’t, that Mike Vanderbough attended the first or second one held there in Westcliffe, so it is possible to travel for just that purpose. The local Sheriff’s Office makes sure that everyone feels welcome to enjoy their rights and freedoms. I don’t think one would be disappointed if they did attend, because the 4th of July is designed to celebrate one’s God-given rights and what better way to celebrate than to exercise it before God and everyone? If for no other reason than to drive the commies nuts.
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