Former Texas Land Commissioner and open carry advocate Jerry Patterson says “nut jobs” have pushed open carry “off the rails” in Texas.
From cornering state representativess in their offices to announcing it’s “time to hunt some Republicans,” certain open carry groups have turned the open carry movement into a farce, according to Patterson.
Because of this, NBC DFW reports that open carry momentum that rested on “800,000 concealed handgun license holders” and Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) support is now floundering.
“(Open Carry) has been pushed off the rails by nut jobs,” Patterson said.
Mediaite.com reported that one the most prominent antics has been the way Open Carry Tarrant County “[harassed] Democrat lawmakers” until said lawmakers had panic buttons installed in their offices. This is the same group that said it’s “time to hunt some Republicans” after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s (R) said open carry may not be a priority at this point because a greater focus has been placed on campus carry.
On January 9, Breitbart News reported that Open Carry Tarrant County was producing a series of YouTube videos called, “Cop Block,” that allegedly show members confronting police officers during the performance of their duty. Group members openly carry weapons during these confrontations.
Open Carry Texas (OCT) — the predominant open carry organization in the state — has made clear that they disapprove of the kind of tactics undertaken by Open Carry Tarrant County. OCT told Breitbart News: “OCT does not condone or support harassing police officers, and we certainly do not support anyone shadowing officers with guns.”
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has opposed open carry in Texas from the moment the topic came up. The “nut jobs” Patterson talked about may have inadvertently bolstered Moms Demand’s position.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.