Created: 11/4/2009 11:21:59 PM 
Greensboro -- A Greensboro man was charged with three misdemeanors stemming from an incident that occurred outside of a local abortion clinic.
James Penn, Jr. is accused of resisting a public officer, carrying a weapon during a demonstration outside an abortion clinic and failing to properly store a firearm in his home.
"I'm definitely anti-abortion," said Penn. While he admits to carrying to weapon outside of the abortion clinic, he insists he was not part of any demonstration. "When I walked up, it was two men with bibles."
Penn taped his encounter with a Greensboro police officer on his camera phone and posted the footage on YouTube. During the exchange, the officer repeatedly asks Penn to show identification after realizing that Penn is armed. "I saw it as a baseless request--not a legal request," said Penn. "Therefore, I exercised my right to decline."
According to Greensboro police, people who legally possess and open-carry weapons are not required to identify themselves unless they are being questioned as part of an investigation. Carrying a gun while participating in or being a spectator at a demonstration upon a private health care facility is a violation of state law.
"This situation has absolutely been blown out of proportion," according to Penn, who was surprised when officers showed up to his home with guns drawn to execute warrants for his arrest. "You would have thought I was some kind of violent felon."
According to a court document, Penn is considered "a person of high interest to the FBI because of his alignment with violent demonstrators at abortion clinics."
"I go out from time to time and preach the gospel," said Penn. "I'm not affiliated with any non-violent nor violent activist groups at all."
WFMY News 2
