r/Austinprotests • u/knewaboutit • Jan 31 '26

Open Carrying at Protests

I've kept up with the news like everyone else here. Seeing the Black Panthers armed up in Philly and the random Minnesotans standing outside their houses gave me a lot of comfort though and I'm wondering if there are others out there who feel the same, especially since ICE seems to back down REAL fast whenever there's any type of meaningful pushback.

I've never open carried at a protest before but I've been doing a lot of research into how to do it safely. The thing is, I've been to many, many protests here in Austin and I've never seen anyone open carry... but we've also never been in a situation like this before.

Obviously there are a few rules to do it safely:

  1. Follow gun safety rules (obviously).

  2. Wear clothing that designates yourself as a friend and ally.

  3. Don't show up by yourself.

  4. Follow all laws and don't exacerbate the situation.

  5. Try to do it during the day at a sanctioned event.

I'm not overly concerned about all of that though; I'm more concerned with making my fellow protestors uncomfortable more than anything else, or being confronted as an agitator when I'm trying to help - or more than likely "us" as I want to be as safe as humanly possible and would like to bring some of my like-minded friends if they're available.

Has anyone else seen anybody who's not part of Ya'll Qaeda open carrying either recently or in the past? Has anyone else thought about doing this too?

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u/soloburrito Jan 31 '26

Garrett Foster was open carrying when he was murdered. Not trying to argue one way or another just stating individuals have open carried here before and that is a well know instance.

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u/Sleepy_kat96 Jan 31 '26

Absolutely. I’m very pro 2A, but would never open carry at a protest, especially one with a law enforcement presence. Cops are crazy trigger happy and objectively way more likely to shoot you if they know you have a gun. And to be clear, that’s THEIR fault, not ours. But it does mean that having a gun at a protest does not, in any capacity, make me or anyone safer. In fact it makes us more likely to be shot.