Ya know, there’s an old saying, and I mean really old in that it dates back to, most likely, before Texas was even a state, that says that you just don’t mess with Texas. But apparently at least some of those over at the NRA have either never heard of it or, for whatever reason, simply chose to ignore it. Because the National Rifle Association recently decided to release a statement saying that open carriers of firearms should practice more discretion and even went so far as to call the behavior of some as being "downright weird." And now the group labelled as being ‘weird’, Open Carry Texas (OCT), is fighting back.
According to one source, the group said that the NRA's statements were both "ignorant" and "unnecessary." In taking to it’s page on Facebook, OCT wrote, "The NRA has refused to learn for themselves how Open Carry Texas (OCT) conducts itself other than what the liberal media and Bloomberg-funded gun-control extremists have falsely portrayed." It went on to say, "The real ignorance in their statement is that it was completely unnecessary. OCT – along with Come And Take It Texas, Texas Carry and Gun Rights Across America – has already changed its methods and the whole world is aware of that."
The group is reported to have said, "The more the NRA continues to divide its members by attacking some aspects of gun rights instead of supporting all gun rights, the more support it will lose." Adding, "Already, OCT members are posting pictures of themselves cutting up their life membership cards. If they do not retract their disgusting and disrespectful comments, OCT will have no choice but to withdraw its full support of the NRA and establish relationships with other gun rights organizations that fight for ALL gun rights, instead of just paying them lip service the way the NRA appears to be doing."
According to an earlier reports, the NRA felt compelled to make the unusual statements after multiple chain restaurants started refusing customers entry if they were openly carrying arms. One columnist associated with Mediate, Evan McMurry, wrote that the NRA wants gun owners to be more discreet, "lest the sight of heavily armed groups descending upon public spaces backfire ... and produce more stringent gun restrictions." The NRA's legislative arm wrote: "Here at NRA, we are big fans of responsible behavior … legal mandates, not so much," according to a Mediaite report.
But apparently someone at the NRA came to their senses. Because after realizing that they may have taken things a bit too far, the NRA has now apologized to OCT for calling it "downright weird." Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA’s policy wing, said that the organization was wrong to condemn OCT supporters for showing up with large rifles at stores and restaurants as part of their open carry protests. Their actions have led to a public outcry over the "scary" guns with some chains, including Starbucks and Chipotle, now urging their customers not to bring weapons into their stores.
And it was Mr. Cox who said on the NRA’s Internet channel, "The truth is an alert went out that referred to this type of behavior as weird or somehow not normal, and that was a mistake." He went on to say, "It shouldn’t have happened and I’ve had a discussion with the staffer who wrote that piece and expressed his personal opinion. And our job isn’t to criticize the lawful behavior of fellow gun owners. So this is a distraction and certainly the media has had a field day with it." One would think that with a state-controlled media that’s so rabidly anti-gun, someone should have known what would happen.
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