Texas Governor Greg Abbott just did something rare in politics: he told the truth.
Abbott reaffirmed a basic fact last week: law-abiding Texans have a constitutional right to carry firearms, even at protests.
This should not be news. It’s already the law, and it’s already your right.
But Abbott’s clarity stands in sharp contrast to the confused, anti-gun messaging coming from the Trump administration and even some high-profile Texas Republicans.
After the chaos surrounding immigration enforcement protests in Minneapolis, the national talking points got ugly fast.
President Donald Trump declared, “You can’t have guns… you can’t walk in with guns.”
FBI Director Kash Patel echoed the same framing, saying, “You cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem piled on too: “I don’t know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign.”
That’s not “pro-Second Amendment” leadership. That’s the gun confiscation lobby’s script — dressed up in Republican clothing.
But Governor Abbott didn’t blink, because Texas already proved what works.
We’ve seen hundreds of armed Texans show up to rallies and protests, openly carrying rifles and sidearms.
And what happened? Nothing.
No riots. No bloodshed. No mass violence. Just law-abiding citizens exercising their rights peacefully and going home.
And guess what? We got the open carry and permitless carry laws they were pushing for passed into law — especially after Texas Gun Rights helped mobilize tens of thousands of pro-gun Texans across the state in support of those measures.
Rights Don’t Vanish Because Someone Else Gets Violent
The Second Amendment doesn’t only apply at the county fair. It applies everywhere.
That includes protests.
And yes — even if a protest turns into a riot, your right to carry doesn’t evaporate. Rights don’t depend on whether strangers behave.
Sometimes you’re not even part of it. You’re driving home. You’re walking to your car. You’re working downtown. You’re caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That’s when the right to carry matters most.
Undercover journalists like James O’Keefe and Andy Ngo have even gone into dangerous crowds to expose what the media won’t. Street takeovers. Political mobs. Organized intimidation.
You don’t have to like their work to understand this: they have the same lawful right to carry and defend themselves as anyone else. And in those environments, self-defense isn’t theoretical.
It’s survival.
Carrying Responsibly Means Avoiding Conflict
Let’s be crystal clear. This is not a green light to “get involved.”
Every concealed carry course teaches avoidance, de-escalation, and retreat when possible. Responsible carry means removing yourself from danger, not inserting yourself into it.
If you choose to disrupt lawful law enforcement activities while armed, you put yourself at risk. That’s not self-defense.
That’s escalation.
Pretti’s Death Is Tragic — But Not a Second Amendment Case
The death of Alex Pretti is tragic, and the video evidence does not look good if you’re being objective. It should be investigated properly, like any death should be.
But his death should not be framed as a Second Amendment case.
This isn’t about “guns at protests.”
We wrote about this in our previous op-ed — these environments are designed to force errors in order to push an agenda.
Gun owners should not fall for it.
Abbott Is Right — Others Should Follow
Abbott’s position is the right one because the Second Amendment doesn’t stop applying when the media starts screaming. It doesn’t stop applying when politicians get weak.
And it doesn’t stop applying because Washington thinks it “looks bad.”
Chris McNutt, President of Texas Gun Rights, put it plainly: “Rights don’t evaporate because a moment gets tense.”
McNutt also warned against the cowardly anti-gun framing coming from politicians who should know better: “Texans prepared to peaceably carry their firearms should be supported — not discouraged.”
If you want the Second Amendment defended without compromise, Texas Gun Rights needs to stay in the fight. The gun confiscation cartel is counting on Republicans to flinch.
We’re not flinching.
Chip in to Texas Gun Rights today — and help us defend the Second Amendment without compromise.
