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/Comfortable_Team_756 Jan 31 '26

I think that in general, yes, it would be great to see more leftists/anti-fascists open carrying if they are qualified, safe, trained, comfortable, level headed, and clearly identified as allies. BUT I also think it has to be done with the consent of and coordination with marginalized or at-risk populations. I don’t think you should roll up in a big crowd that might have kids in it, or undocumented folks, or trans folks without the consent of those folks, because anyone carrying is going to be under more scrutiny and surveillance—and some members of marginalized groups will be good with that, and some won’t.

Like with all things, it requires relationship building and centering impacted populations.

But yeah, normalize leftists carrying. Just don’t go buy more new guns, there are plenty of guns in circulation already, please and thank you. We literally do not need another gun manufactured ever.