Free Republic

Gun rights activists in Texas are testing Walmart’s request not to open-carry in stores by doing just that. David Amad, the vice president of Open Carry Texas, told The New York Times the 38,000 members of his group have openly carried their guns inside Walmart stores since the retailer announced last week it is “respectfully requesting” customers to no longer openly bring guns into its stores.

Over the last couple of weeks, a dramatic saga has taken place between open carry advocates and Olmos Park police in Texas. The incident began on Monday, March 26 when CJ Grisham, the founder of Open Carry Texas (OCT), put in a call to Olmos Park Police Chief Rene Valenciano. Grisham questioned Valenciano's stance on open carry and whether or not open carry activists would have issues if a demonstration was held in the San Antonio suburb. On Tuesday, March 27, OCT held an open carry rally in Olmos Park, which resulted in the arrest of three OCT members, including...

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said over the weekend that a gun rights group shouldn’t bother rescheduling a planned march through Houston’s Fifth Ward, and that these sorts of demonstrations “need to end.” Open Carry Texas was set to march through the political subdivision of Houston, but had to postpone the event. According to the Houston Chronicle, Jackson Lee and others gathered to say they oppose the group’s effort to raise awareness about the right to openly carry rifles and shotguns in Texas. “We come in peace,” said Jackson Lee. “On behalf of many thousands who live in this community...

Imagine sitting down to dinner at a restaurant with your family when in walks a handful of men armed with assault rifles. Are you frightened, maybe angry? Or do they make you feel safe? That’s the question at the center of a bitter and increasingly public battle surrounding a group of gun-carrying activists in Texas, who brazenly flex their legal right to bear arms by carrying around assault rifles in public. The group calls themselves “Open Carry Texas.” Their enthusiasm for packing heat in public has led national chains like Chipotle, Chili’s and Jack in the Box to ask customers...

A predominantly black neighborhood in Houston has gotten a temporary reprieve from having a group of armed gun enthusiasts pay the area a visit. The Houston chapter of Open Carry Texas called off a "walk" that was planned for this past Sunday in the city's Fifth Ward because an organizer was scheduled to attend a separate demonstration in another community. It would have doubled as a canned food drive. Previously, organizers encouraged supporters on Facebook to "make this a big event." "Let's once again show that gun rights belong to all," they said. David Amad, a member of Open...

(For the full context of this post, please read here.) At the end of my conversation with Shannon Watts, of gun-control group Moms Demand Action, Watts said something rather astonishing. The reason that the moms in Dallas were so intimidated by the counter-protest outside, she told me, was that Open Carry Texas is “like the Taliban” and could feasibly have planned to open fire. “You don’t honestly believe they were going to shoot you?” I asked. “I have no idea why you would actually assume that,” Watts replied. “You never know with these mass shootings. I don’t know who these...