Dallas Morning News – by Lauren McGaughy
AUSTIN — President Barack Obama will visit Austin on Friday to help kick off South by Southwest. The same day, pro-gun protesters plan to march in the streets to show support for the state’s new open carry law.
This isn’t the first time protesters have openly carried guns during the nine-day festival. But it is the first time that SXSW organizers have brought in the president, who has repeatedly called for tightening gun laws in the wake of mass shootings nationwide.
“I’m going to open carry my rifle and hand out literature at SXSW Friday,” CJ Grisham, leader of the pro-gun group Open Carry Texas, wrote on Facebook. “I just found out Obama is going to SXSW. This may get interesting.”
The purpose of the demonstration, according to its Facebook event page, is to show festival-goers that “gun owners are no different than anyone else.”
“We simply refuse to be victims,” information on the page says. “The first group will meet at the south entrance to the capitol [sic] at noon.”
Freak Out Nation, an anti-tea party website, also reported that another person wrote: “If you get a clear shot, fire for effect!” The comment was criticized by others, and Grisham told The Dallas Morning News that individual had been banned from the group.
“I don’t condone violence against anybody unless it’s in self defense,” said Grisham. “Anybody who calls for the death of anybody else without legal justification is aberrant to me.”
Grisham said Open Carry Texas has no plans to protest outside of Obama’s events, adding, “Quite frankly there are idiot zealots on both sides of the gun argument.”
It is legal in Texas to openly carry long weapons, such as rifles and shotguns, without a license. To carry a handgun, however, state law requires what’s called a “license to carry,” a legal government ID that requires holders to pass a background check and complete a class that includes written and shooting tests.
Carrying any weapon — concealed or openly – is prohibited at all SXSW-sponsored events, according to festival policy. For private events held on the fringes of SXSW, Austin police representatives told KVUE that attendees should check organizers’ policies.
Open carry supporters have marched in the streets of Austin during SXSW for at least the last two years. This is the first such event since Texas legalized the open carry of handguns on Jan. 1.