A notorious Texas gun activist was up to his old tricks on Thursday as he called for the arrest and hanging of lawmakers who voted to stall a measure that would’ve allowed concealed-carry-licensed handgun owners to tote their weapons in public.
Kory Watkins, the outspoken leader of the group Open Carry Tarrant County whose past antics convinced the state legislature to allow the installation of panic buttons in members’ offices, said in a Facebook post that the lawmakers who voted against the measure must be held accountable for their “treason.”
“I’m calling for the arrest of every elected official in Texas that voted against open carry,” he wrote. “They should be arrested, charged with treason and should face a punishment that could result in being hung from the tree of liberty.”
The state Senate passed the bill Friday, less than a week after a massive shootout between rival biker gangs left nine people dead in Waco, Texas. It was then sent back to the House, which had already passed it, for what was expected to be a speedy review. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) also indicated that he would sign the bill when it came to its desk. But intense lobbying from concerned law enforcement groups derailed the measure on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Watkins is known for his pugilistic rhetoric, which often prompts other open carry activists in Texas to distance themselves from him.
He briefly posted a video in February to his Facebook page in which he warned that any lawmaker who abridged what he called a person’s right to “constitutional carry,” or the unlicensed carrying of firearms, was committing treason punishable by death. Watkins later denied that he threatened lawmakers and removed the video from Facebook to prevent people from “misinterpreting” what he said.
Members of Open Carry Tarrant County also physically confronted Democratic state Rep. Poncho Nevarez in January, leading to the rule change allowing members of the House to install panic buttons in their offices. Watkins filmed the encounter and posted it online.
The video showed the gun activists’ unsuccessful attempt to persuade Nevarez to vote in favor of an open carry bill. The activists told Nevarez he was a “tyrant to the Constitution” when he said he wouldn’t vote for the bill. A Nevarez staffer then showed the activists the door, which Watkins tried to jam with his foot—a moment the gun activist alluded to with the hashtage #FootInDoors in Thursday’s Facebook post.
