Photo: AP

President of the Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association, Steve Loomis, called upon Ohio Governor John Kasich to suspend laws that permit the open carry of firearms at the Republican National Convention, which begins on Monday. Loomis’s request came hours after six police officers were shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The police union leader said he wouldn’t mind temporarily breaking the law in order to protect police officers, who enforce laws, at least in theory.

Loomis told Reuters, “I don’t care what the legal precedent is, I feel strongly that leadership needs to stand up and defend these police officers.”

In an interview with CNN, Loommis said, “We are sending a letter to Gov. Kasich requesting assistance from him. He could very easily do some kind of executive order or something—I don’t care if it’s constitutional or not at this point.”

This selective disregard for constitutional rights is not altogether surprising coming from a man who once called Tamir Rice—a 12-year-old boy murdered by Cleveland PD in 2014—“menacing.”

As it turns out, it’s not always so easy for state government to take unconstitutional action at its police department’s behest.

Kasich responded that none of what Loomis is demanding is going to happen. “Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested,” Kasich said.