A Texas bill allowing gun owners to carry concealed firearms without a permit is now indefinitely stalled after a pro-gun activist advocated for the legislation by stalking state lawmakers — even appearing at their homes.
On Friday, Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced plans to abandon the "constitutional carry" bill after the activist, Chris McNutt, showed up at his doorstep and at the homes of two other lawmakers.
McNutt, executive director of the nonprofit Texas Gun Rights, was reportedly outraged the bill failed to advance quickly through the legislature. He posted a series of rants to his group's Facebook page complaining about the legislative inaction. He followed these posts with videos of himself visiting the neighborhoods of two Republican state lawmakers, Reps. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock and Four Price of Amarillo.
McNutt's social media activity prompted Texas state troopers to put Bonnen's home under surveillance, the Houston Chronicle reports. That's how authorities were able to intercept the activist when he attempted to visit the speaker's home last week while Bonnen was nearly 200 miles away at the state capitol in Austin. Bonnen's wife and teenage son were reportedly home at the time.
Friday, Bonnen called McNutt's actions "gutless intimidation tactics."
"One fringe organization's leader disturbingly traveled over 700 miles in 24 hours just to visit the homes of lawmakers — knowing full well that members were hundreds of miles away in our Capitol while wives and children were alone," Bonnen said in a statement.
McNutt's actions seem to have rattled several state lawmakers who now say they no longer plan to move forward with the controversial gun bill.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-poli...xas-constitutional-carry-concealed-gun-rights
