Kory Watkins, head of Open Carry Tarrant County. Associated Press photo
Back in the 80’s I was a big fan of the comic strip Bloom County. In one of the comic’s subplots the main character Opus the penguin, on a quest to find his mother, finally tracks her down at a Mary Kay Makeup animal testing facility. Just as he’s about to rescue her, the “Mary Kay Commandos”, old ladies with caked-on makeup and pink Uzis, arrive and order the animals back into their cages. Seconds later, the eco-terrorist Animal Liberation Guerilla Front bursts in to free the animals. Caught in the crossfire, Opus makes an observation.
“Saved from sadists by terrorists. Sort of a dream come true, you know?”
Yes, Opus, I know the feeling. Because I and my fellow reasonable gun owners are being saved from “tyrants” by open-carry douchebags.
On Tuesday, January 12th, Kory Watkins and his group Open Carry Tarrant County (OCTC) held a rally at the Texas Capital and won yet another victory for gun rights. By “won another victory”, I mean they acted like the complete fanatic morons they truly are and gave the anti-gun side yet more reason to attack gun rights and gun owners.
During the rally, OCTC members visited the office of state representative Poncho Nevarez (D – Eagle Pass). One of them videotaped the visit. The video shows an OCTC member asking Nevarez to support open carry of pistols in Texas. Nevarez politely says he’s not going to vote for it. The man shakes Nevarez’s hand and curtly but politely thanks him for his time. So far so good.
But then Watkins and his fellow traveling clowns decided to let their inner douchebag show.
OCTC members began calling Nevarez a “tyrant”, exhorted him to “read the Constitution” and told him “you won’t be here long.” Nevarez played along with it for a while – nodding and saying “I’m a tyrant, I won’t be here long” – then got fed up and ordered the open carriers to leave his office. The open carriers took this as a Batman symbol in the clouds ordering them to be the biggest flaming a**holes they could be.
One of them responded to the order to leave the office with “This is the people’s office!” Another told Nevarez “Don’t touch me” when Nevarez apparently tried to lead him to the door. After Nevarez said “I’m asking you to leave my office,” the man responded “I’m asking you to leave my state because you don’t take your oath seriously.” As they were leaving one even stuck his foot in the doorway, then asked “What are you gonna do?” when Nevarez told him to move his foot. He then challenged someone in the hallway.
Open carrier: “What are you gonna do, touch me or something? You creeping up behind me?”
The man says he’s not.
Open carrier: “That’d be one wrong move, bro.”
Courageous Open Carry warriors at the Austin rally
The end result of OCTC’s brave demonstration was a new form of gun FREEEEEDOMMMMMM!!!, in the form of “panic buttons” about to be installed in state representatives’ offices.
But that’s not all our brave open carriers nationwide have done.
Since that victory in my beloved Great State of Texas, open carriers in Washington State decided to spread some FREEEDOMMM!!! up there as well. On Thursday January 15th a band of brave open carriers went into the Capitol building’s public gallery during a protest. One of them was carrying his AR-15 pistol in this totally non-threatening way:
Washington State Open Carrier. AP Photo by Ted S. Warren
A police officer unreasonably told the open carrier he was carrying his weapon in a “tactical manner”, which is against state law. The OCer was in fact carrying in a tactical manner. But the police officer was being unreasonable by pointing out something that was obviously true. OCers don’t like people who unreasonably point out obvious truths (i.e., “If you carry an SKS into Chipotle to buy a burrito you’re a f**king idiot”).
The police officer threatened to eject and/or arrest the OCer, who eventually concealed his pistol and left. Open Carry extremists had won yet another victory. This victory consisted of guns being banned from the Capitol’s public gallery.
These are just two more great victories for gun rights, won by intrepid Open Carry extremists who bravely carry weapons in places where there is exactly zero threat to their safety and who convince businesses and local governments to ban guns from their premises. After previous Open Carry Mass Stupidity/”gun rights demonstrations”, Target, Sonic, Chipotle, Chili’s, Starbucks and other companies either banned weapons or asked people not to carry in their stores.
Every one of those bans was a victory. Right?
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Of course the best way to win political support is to harass, intimidate, threaten, bully and throw a tantrum like a spoiled brat when you don’t get your way! Way to go, open carriers!” And who could argue with that?
Actually, I can.
I’m a staunch 2nd Amendment advocate. I’ve been shooting and collecting guns for over thirty years. I’ve carried a weapon as a Marine and Soldier for a quarter century, including in combat. I’ve carried a weapon as a cop for two decades. I’ve taught friends and family to shoot. I’ve written about the foundations of the 2nd Amendment, and its modern relevance. I’ve passionately advocated for keeping private citizens armed. I own many weapons and have fired tens of thousands of rounds in military and civilian life, from .22 pistols to an M1 Abrams’ 120mm main gun. I love the 2nd Amendment.
And I think Open Carry extremists are doing nothing but damage to the 2nd Amendment cause.
To any OCers reading this: this ain’t no tyranny. You can own tons of guns, including military weapons suitable for resisting government forces. You can criticize anything you want in public or online. You can travel as you wish. You can spout ridiculous, nonsensical accusations (“The Sandy Hook Massacre was faked by the government! The Boston Bombing was a false flag operation!”). And until you idiots f**ked it up, you could have carried a weapon into Washington’s state capitol.
That’s not tyranny. That’s life in free-as-hell America. You think this is tyranny, try walking into a restaurant with an AK in some of the places I’ve served. Around two seconds after walking in, right around the time you’d get shot, you’d probably realize America isn’t such a dictatorship after all.
I’ve asked this before, and I’ll ask again: please, open carriers, stop “defending my rights”. You’re making things worse. People look at regular-guy gun owners like me, and they see you. You’re convincing the undecided that gun owners are heavily armed, crazed bullies. Even CJ Grisham, the not-so-moderate head of Open Carry Texas, calls you OCTC members “A malignant cancer for the gun rights movement”.
I personally would put you OCTC members above Moms Demand Action and Bloomberg as enemies of the 2nd Amendment. Why? Because MDA and Bloomberg are pathetically ineffective at getting guns banned. You open carry clowns are effective. You’re succeeding where the professional anti-gun agitators fail.
It should be kind of a clue that much of the pro-2A movement thinks you guys are being paid by the anti-gun side to make us look bad. I don’t believe that. But I do believe something worse.
You guys actually believe so strongly in your holy cause, you don’t care how much damage you’re doing to your own side. You’re the suicide bombers of the gun rights movement, happy to indiscriminately destroy anyone, on either side, who doesn’t live up to your standards of what a true 2A believer should be. Like all zealots everywhere, you’ll do whatever makes you the hero of your own little drama, without regard for the negative effects on others.
If you ever did rise up and overthrow “tyranny”, I’m sure whatever you put in its place would be worse. Passionate zealots tend to have little regard for the lives of those less passionate than them. You already view everyone who doesn’t agree with you as enemies or “sheeple”. Based on the veiled threats and petty intimidation you regularly practice, I’d expect you guys to be the real tyrants.
You don’t represent me. You don’t speak for me. I don’t want your help.
At least one other gun rights advocate partly agrees. Alan Gottlieb, head of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, based in Washington State, said this of Thursday’s confrontation.
“This is the result of a few stupid extremists on our side who not only handled their firearms unsafely, but made the hundreds of Second Amendment supporters at the rally look foolish. Irresponsible actions get us bad results. Unfortunately, some of the fools in town are on our side. This kind of childish theater hurts our cause. The gun ban crowd is having a field day over this.”
The gun ban crowd is having a field day because every time they think they’re losing, Kory Watkins and his circus sideshow give them a neverending belt of anti-gun ammo to use against us.
If Kory and his lackeys read this, I have no doubt they’ll dismiss it with “This guy’s not a real 2nd Amendment supporter! He’s hurting gun rights, not us! We should carry rifles into even more places, and create even more enemies, and get guns banned from even more places! That’s what real gun rights supporters do!” And they’ll do it. They’ll do more damage, cause more harm, and pat themselves on the back for it. That’s what mindless zealots do.
But what should OCTC do instead? Shut up, put the guns away, and disappear forever. That’s the best thing they could possibly do to support gun rights.
Because there’s no tyranny here. And even if there was, I wouldn’t want OCTC douchebags “saving” me from it.
Chris Hernandez is a 20 year police officer, former Marine and currently serving National Guard soldier with over 25 years of military service. He is a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and also served 18 months as a United Nations police officer in Kosovo. He writes for BreachBangClear.com and Iron Mike magazine and has published two military fiction novels, Proof of Our Resolve and Line in the Valley, through Tactical16 Publishing. He can be reached at [email protected] or on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ProofofOurResolve).
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