Singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne has canceled his September 22 show at University of Texas in Austin due to a state law that allows concealed carry permit holders to carry guns on campus for self-defense.
In a Facebook post, LaMontagne said he is “open minded” but cannot support laws that allow permit holders to carry guns on campus.
LaMontagne wrote:
“[The September 22] show at Bass Concert Hall in Austin, TX has been cancelled due to concerns over the state of Texas’ recently enacted campus carry law, which allows licensed holders to bring concealed handguns into many performance venues on public university campuses, including the Performing Arts Center at The University of Texas at Austin. I consider myself to be a very open minded human being, and I always try and see things from another’s point of view. I realize this is a controversial issue and there are strong feelings on both sides of it. But no matter how hard I try to understand the rationale for allowing guns on campus or more broadly, the ‘concealed carry’ law in general, I just cannot in any way support that ideology.”
Rolling Stone reports that LaMontagne was willing to hold the show if UT president Gregory Fenves would create an “exemption,” whereby concealed carry permit holders would have to be defenseless when they attended the concert.
Fenves declined the exemption request.
LaMontagne will finish out his tour in Houston and Dallas on September 23 and 24.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com