Texas Gun Advocacy Group Shows Up to Anti-Gun Meeting, Weapons Drawn
A gun advocacy group is drawing fire after several dozen of their members confronted four unarmed women during a meeting organized by gun safety group Moms Demand Action (MDA) at a local restaurant in Dallas, Texas.
A spokeswoman for MDA stated that the women were inside the Blue Mesa Grill when a large group comprised of several members with Open Carry Texas (OCT) started assembling in the parking lot with their weapons drawn.
Roughly 40 members "pull[ed] up in the parking lot and start[ed] getting guns out of their trunks."
The group's spokeswoman then added that the restaurant manager did not call the police over concerns of "inciting a riot" and decided to wait for the armed members to leave.
OCT is an open carry advocacy group looking to change the law to make it legal in Texas for licensed guns owners to openly carry and display their firearms in public. The goals of the group, as stated on their webpage, include a desire to "educate all Texans about their right to openly carry rifles and shotguns in a safe manner" and "to condition Texans to feel safe around law-abiding citizens that choose to carry them."
OCT is currently trying to garner support for less restrictive gun restrictions in the state with a focus being put on allowing legal gun owners to openly carry their firearms throughout the state. Currently Texas provides concealed weapons permits, but it is illegal to openly carry a firearm
In a statement later released by MDA they described the armed members as "gun bullies" who "disagree[d] with our goal of changing America's gun laws and policies to protect our children and families."
According to their website, MDA is a "non-partisan grassroots movement of American mothers demanding new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws, loopholes and policies that for too long have jeopardized the safety of our children and families."
Some of the actions MDA hopes to see implemented regarding their stated goals of increasing gun safety include: requiring background checks for all gun and ammunition purchases, banning assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, and requiring child-safe gun technology.