Texas gun owners stage rally at the Alamo
October 19, 2013



Gun rights advocates gather at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 19, to demonstrate in support of a Texas law that permits the open carry of long arms, such as rifles and shotguns.

By Simon Moya-Smith, Staff Writer, NBC News

Hundreds of gun-rights advocates, many toting rifles and shotguns, gathered early Saturday at the Alamo in San Antonio to rally in support of gun ownership and the right to bear arms.

The rally, called "Come and Take It San Antonio," comes in response to what organizers called San Antonio police's "disregard for Texas law and The Constitution." Organizers said the police department has harassed gun owners and created a hostile environment for legal gun ownership.

Gun-rights proponents flooded a plaza near the historic site -- considered a shrine of Texas liberty since a small band of Texans fought and died in a battle against Mexican forces there in 1836. Many of those gathered carried banners, flags and sundry firearms.

The rally launched with remarks from organizers: “We aren't here to start a war today,” one said, according to the San Antonio News-Express. “We are here to show that an armed society is a polite society."
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