Confederate flag rally organizer: Bring rifles, 'extra magazines just in case' to San Antonio event

The Facebook event page, which was posted in a closed OCT San Antonio group, lists the time from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. The Facebook event page, which was posted in a closed OCT San Antonio group, lists the time from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Confederate flag rally organizer: Bring rifles, 'extra magazines just in case' to San Antonio event 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — A local organizer is encouraging supporters of open carry and the Confederate flag to bring rifles and "extra magazines just in case" to a rally in downtown San Antonio Friday.

Lamar Russell, a member of the San Antonio chapter of Open Carry Texas, said he expects roughly a dozen people to show up.

“We want to show that Southern pride and the Confederate flag are not racist,” said Russell, who is black.

Russell said the group will also carry rifles for two reasons: to show support for the Second Amendment and “for our protection.”

He said the last time he rallied downtown, a stranger walked up “with a gun and his hands in his pockets, like he was going to pull a gun.”

“Police officers were there to intervene,” Russell said, adding that the individual appeared to be following the group of demonstrators and cursed at them.

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The Facebook event page, which was posted in a closed OCT San Antonio group, lists the time from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Russell said the group will meet at the Goodwill downtown parking lot, and then rally through the streets of downtown.

"It's time to represent once again for the South, bring your rifles, bring extra magazines just in case," the page said.

CJ Grisham, president of Open Carry Texas and candidate for Texas Senate District 24, a Central Texas district that represents areas from Abilene to Bandera County, said the event is not “an official OCT event, but I told (Lamar) he could share it on the group’s page.”

“We believe in free speech as much as we believe in gun rights, we don't see anything racist about the Confederate flag,” he said. “If the Confederate flag is such a racist symbol, why does one of our black members keep organizing these events to challenge the narrative around the Northern Virginia battle flag."

The Texas Legislature last year passed a law, commonly referred to as open carry, which will allow licensed individuals to carry pistols visibly starting Jan. 1, 2016. Currently, state law allows individuals to openly tote long guns, such as rifles and shotguns, but requires pistols to be concealed.

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Twitter: @KoltenParker