Report: Open Carry Texas opposes suburban Dallas group's vigilante tactics

Kory Watkins, coordinator for Open Carry Tarrant County poses for a portrait holding his Romanian AK 47, Thursday, May 29, 2014, in Haltom City, Texas. Watkins is among the leaders of Cop Block, a group that films police officers at work. (File photo) less Kory Watkins, coordinator for Open Carry Tarrant County poses for a portrait holding his Romanian AK 47, Thursday, May 29, 2014, in Haltom City, Texas. Watkins is among the leaders of Cop Block, a group that ... more Photo: Tony Gutierrez, AP Photo: Tony Gutierrez, AP Image 1 of / 50 Caption Close Report: Open Carry Texas opposes suburban Dallas group's vigilante tactics 1 / 50 Back to Gallery

A group known for its controversial stance on gun owners' rights to carry weapons in public says it can't condone the in-your-face tactics of a suburban Dallas cop-watching group.

Open Carry Texas, part of a nationwide movement to promote the right to openly carry firearms, takes issue with new Arlington groups known as Open Carry Tarrant County and Cop Block, according to Breitbart.

Those groups have been busy not only promoting the right to carry firearms but also filming officers at work and posting Cop Block videos on YouTube.

Kory Watkins, a bartender who is among the new groups' leaders, told The Daily Beast that the cop watchers make as many as 20 stops a night responding to 911 calls heard on police scanners.

According to the Arlington Police Department, cop-watching in that suburb has been going on for about a year, The Daily Beast reported. Recently, these encounters have been escalating in intensity and cop watchers have been arrested, police told the website.

Victoria Montgomery of Open Carry Texas told Beitbart the organization takes issue with the cop-watchers' vigilante style: "At Open Carry Texas, we have always placed an emphasis on public relations, and believe the 'in your face' style of fellow gun rights groups is not only ineffective but detrimental. OCT does not condone or support harassing police officers, and we certainly do not support anyone shadowing officers with guns."

The Arlington activists often yell insults at officers and have taken to shouting, "Hands up, don't shoot," and "I can't breathe," in reference to a fatal police shooting in Ferguson, Mo., and the use of an illegal choke hold in Staten Island, New York, The Daily Mail reported.