--- description: The National Rifle Association apologized for saying that open carriers "crossed the line" title: NRA Reasserts Support of Open Carriers image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35c8a84c66f2dab6/6986961b810bbb04a1c9203a/ap154401621370.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Guns](/tag/guns/) ## Guns Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # NRA Walks Back Criticisms of 'Open Carry' Movement by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2014 1:34 PM CUT  Alex Phillips of Paradise, Texas, poses for a portrait holding his rifle, as he and members of the Open Carry Tarrant county group gathered for a demonstration, May 29, 2014, in Haltom City, Texas. Alex Phillips of Paradise, Texas, poses for a portrait holding his rifle, as he and members of the Open Carry Tarrant county group gathered for a demonstration, May 29, 2014, in Haltom City, Texas.Tony Gutierrez—AP by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2014 1:34 PM CUT The National Rifle Association has walked back its apology for the actions of pro-gun activists who carry loaded assault weapons in public places to protest gun restrictions, with a top official calling a previous critique of so-called open carriers “a mistake.” In a series of Open Carry demonstrations in the Dallas area in recent months, activists have carried weapons into restaurants and in public, sparking a backlash from customers and restaurant chains like [Chili’s and Sonic](http://time.com/2803737/chilis-gun-open-carry/ "undefined"), which have prohibited open carry in their franchises. The NRA issued a statement last week applauding the “[robust gun culture](http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2014/5/good-citizens-and-good-neighbors-the-gun-owners-role.aspx "undefined")” in Texas but adding that some open carriers had “crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness.” But in an interview on NRA’s radio show Cam & Company, the group’s top lobbyist Chris Cox [walked the statement back](http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/06/03/nra-apologizes-for-calling-open-carry-protests/199577 "undefined"), highlighting the sometimes uneasy relationship between the group’s core lobbyists and less inhibited activists. “The National Rifle Association unapologetically and unflinchingly supports the right of self-defense and what that means is that our members and our supporters have a right to carry a firearm in any place they have a legal right to be. If that means open carry, we support open carry,” he said. The NRA “apologize\[s\] again for any confusion that that post caused.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2821799/nra-walks-back-criticisms-of-open-carry-movement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2821799/nra-walks-back-criticisms-of-open-carry-movement/"},"headline":"NRA Walks Back Criticisms of 'Open Carry' Movement","datePublished":"2014-06-04T13:34:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:12:17.896Z","description":"The National Rifle Association apologized for saying that open carriers \"crossed the line\"","url":"https://time.com/2821799/nra-walks-back-criticisms-of-open-carry-movement/","keywords":["Guns","Gun laws"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35c8a84c66f2dab6/6986961b810bbb04a1c9203a/ap154401621370.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35c8a84c66f2dab6/6986961b810bbb04a1c9203a/ap154401621370.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Gun Rights Lawsuit","caption":"Gun Rights Lawsuit","creditText":"Tony Gutierrez—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/guns/","name":"Guns"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2821799/nra-walks-back-criticisms-of-open-carry-movement/","name":"NRA Walks Back Criticisms of 'Open Carry' Movement"}}]}] ```