Armed demonstrators gather outside Texas Capitol to show support for gun rights
About 30 people, many armed and wearing camouflage, stood outside the Texas Capitol on Sunday to show support for their right to bear arms.
The Capitol in Austin is closed through Wednesday due to “armed protests” planned, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on Friday. The demonstrators said they were not related to the storming of the nation’s Capitol.
Three men, each carrying rifles and handguns, said they were not supporters of President Donald Trump or any politician. The men declined to give their real names.
One man said he was showing his support for his constitutional right to carry weapons and said they are fighting against those who want to take those rights away. He compared gun rights to a cake, slices of which are steadily being taken away by the government until it is gone. He did not offer examples of the government taking away gun rights.
The Texas Legislature in recent years has passed laws loosening regulations related to guns. The open carry of handguns by licensed gun owners is permitted in the state if the gun is holstered. Openly carrying long guns is also allowed.
In 2019, in response to mass shootings the Texas Legislature allowed guns to be carried in churches and places of worship and loosened several other restrictions.
A second man, who wore a camouflage full-face mask and a rifle, said the group came armed to showcase its rights and because law enforcement are less likely to “mess with” armed men.
“We’ve lost more rights than ever before over the last decades,” he said, without giving specifics. “It’s not a red or blue issue.”
Throughout the Capitol grounds, police and state troopers stood guard.
“They don’t want another D.C., but we’re not out here to storm the Capitol or because of one man,” the man said, referring to Trump.
Groups such as the Texas Guerillas had already planned some kind of right-to-bear-arms event before the Washington riot, the men said. Many supporters backed out because they did not want to be associated with those who stormed the Capitol in Washington.
The men said they’ve marched with other protest groups, including Black Lives Matter. A third man, wearing a mask with a skull on it and a black hoodie, said their protest wasn’t about “no white supremacist nonsense.”
Kris Hunter of Waco, who stood outside of the Capitol armed, distinguished himself from those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Hunter said he “doesn’t care about left and right spectrum.”
“Last week we saw something that was absolutely disgusting in the U.S. Capitol,” Hunter said, noting that he condemns the actions that took place. “That is not the way to get things done.”
Hunter, who said he’s part of the boogaloo movement, said he came to Austin to advocate that “every individual’s rights matter.”
“There’s no hate here,” a man standing next to Hunter who identified himself by the nickname “Crispy,” later added. “We’re trying to be as peaceful as possible, as loving as possible.”
Asked why he was armed, Hunter replied that it is his right.
“It’s our right to be able to defend ourselves,” Hunter said. “The thing is, honestly, it shouldn’t be taboo.”
At about 3 p.m., most of the demonstrators had left the Capitol grounds. A spokesperson for DPS said in an email that no arrests were made Sunday and that the demonstrations “were lawful and peaceful.”
Michael Abraham Balmos, an Austin resident who was not demonstrating, described himself as a “die-hard news watcher.” The storming of the U.S. Capitol was on Balmos’ mind as he came downtown to see if there really were people armed outside the state Capitol.
He got closer to the gates of the building’s grounds as the demonstrators dispersed in the afternoon.
“It’s unreal to me,” Balmos said. “Of course it’s eye-catching, but it’s just phenomenal, the approach that people take when it comes to individual rights and freedom, according to them, I guess.”
He clarified “them” as the people openly carrying guns.
“I can’t grasp it fully, to be honest,” Balmos said.
This story was originally published January 17, 2021 at 3:53 PM.
