AUSTIN – Today Kory Watkins, leader of Open Carry-Tarrant County, one of the gun extremist organizations pushing for the expansion of open carry in Texas, posted this video to his Facebook page, in which he threatens Texas state legislators with “death” for their wavering support for the expansion of open carry in Texas. In the video, Watkins speaks directly to Texans and says (3:50), “…We should be demanding these people give us our rights back, or it’s punishable by death… do you understand how serious this is?”
Watkins and other open carry extremists are actively supporting House Bill 195, which would allow the open carry of handguns with no permitting or background check requirements. In response to the video, the Texas Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America released the statement below from volunteer Claire Larson, a former NRA-certified rifle instructor:
“These antics are no longer just theatrics and dramatic advocacy, open carry extremists have been threatening the safety and sanity of our communities for far too long and now they are threatening the lives of Texas legislators. Make no mistake, if Texas lawmakers continue to prioritize the expansion of open carry in any form—they are condoning this type of dangerous behavior. Texas Moms understand how serious this is – and we urge Texas lawmakers to take these threats seriously too, respect the legislative process, and oppose the expansion of open carry in our state. After all, there are no panic buttons on the playground like the ones they had installed in their offices.”
