THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
(apologies to Keith Olbermann)
Kory Watkins
Kory Watkins, leader of Open Carry Tarrant County, recently posted a chilling video to his Facebook page that appears to level threats at state lawmakers. The video was quickly taken down from Facebook but was salvaged on YouTube. It appears to build on Watkins’ veiled threats to the office of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last week. In the video, Watkins states that he is frustrated with what he calls games legislators are playing with his push for so-called “Constitutional carry” rights. He then goes on to suggest that failure to open Texas up to open carry of pistols without any licensing requirements is tantamount to treason…. “We should demanding these people give us our rights back or it’s punishable by death. Treason. Do you understand how serious this is Texas?” Watkins asks. “This is treason against the American people. You don’t sell my right back to me. You’re going to find trouble.”
I really hope that someday it will be possible to have a reasoned, rational conversation about the role of guns in American society. I’d really like to think that we’re good enough people, and that we all care enough about America to want to do the right thing…but carrying whatever firepower into whatever public space you choose is simply not the right thing. There’s no argument that can be made for the reasonableness and appropriateness of carrying an AK-47 through the toy aisle at Walmart.
It takes a twisted mind to interpret the 2nd Amendment as enabling Americans to carry any firearm anywhere for any reason at any time. That there are those so devoted to their guns that they’d seriously make this argument illustrates just how thoroughly absurd the conversation has become. Even worse, the nitwits who compromise the Open Carry movement in Texas have taken things to a new and far more malevolent level. They’re accusing legislators they feel are insufficiently supportive of their cause of treason and making death threats against them. The debate has reached a level of ridiculousness that should be cause for concern for any decent American, regardless of what side of the debate you happen to fall on. Even if you’re opposed to any sort of gun control, people like Kory Watkins are damaging your reputation with his unshakeable refusal to compromise and absolute conviction that either he gets his way or legislators will pay the price for their “treasonous” acts.
One state representative, Eagle Pass Democrat Poncho Nevarez is already under state protection after he spoke out against open carry legislation and was threatened.
Once the video began making the virtual rounds, Texas Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America issued a statement denouncing “Watkins and other open carry extremists.” The open-carriers and Moms Demand Action have tangled several times in recent months.
“These antics are no longer just theatrics and dramatic advocacy, open carry extremists have been threatening the safety and sanity of our communities for far too long and now they are threatening the lives of Texas legislators,” says Claire Larson, identified by the gun-control group as former NRA-certified rifle instructor. “Make no mistake, if Texas lawmakers continue to prioritize the expansion of open carry in any form—they are condoning this type of dangerous behavior. Texas Moms understand how serious this is - and we urge Texas lawmakers to take these threats seriously too, respect the legislative process, and oppose the expansion of open carry in our state. After all, there are no panic buttons on the playground like the ones they had installed in their offices.”
If memory serves, there’s no 1st Amendment protection for speech threatening the lives of elected public officials. Such terroristic speech can and should be something the speaker, in this case Watkins, should be called to account for his threats.
How sad and utterly ridiculous has Watkins become? So much so that not even gun nuts who refuse to countenance ANY sort of gun control, claiming it infringes upon their gun rights want to be associated with him. When you make gun nuts look bad, you have to know that you’re harming your cause…at least you would if you possessed even the barest minimum of self-awareness.
Kory Watkins knows less about the meaning of the 2nd Amendment than he does about the First. He also needs to understand that the definition of persecution is not “being prevented from doing whatever you want.” Society at some point has to make a decision about what sorts of behaviors it will tolerate, and most decent people will agree that openly carrying firearms in public areas is a very bad idea. There’s no rational reason for it, never mind the danger if poses to rational people who wish to protect themselves and their families.
At this point, it’s hard to argue that Watkins shouldn’t be behind bars, though I suspect he and the Open Carry movement would use that to claim persecution. Evidently, Watkins and his comrades really do believe persecution means “being prevented from doing whatever you want.”
