There's a reason some of the loudest activists want Texas to do away with handgun licenses.
Their past crimes mean they can't get one.
One Houston activist arrested Thursday outside a Texas Capitol hearing has a long criminal record, including convictions for deadly conduct, criminal mischief and drunken driving, the Houston Chronicle reported Saturday.
In Tarrant County, open-carry protest leader Kory Watkins' extensive record of misdemeanor arrests includes a guilty plea in a 2000 North Richland Hills theft.
Watkins, then 17, was one of three teenagers caught with two 15-inch subwoofer speakers and 44 CDs stolen from a pickup on Southgate Drive, according to North Richland Hills police records.
Today, he is an elected Republican precinct chairman in Mansfield and an outspoken activist for "constitutional carry" of handguns, meaning without a license.
But since his guilty plea in the Class A misdemeanor, Watkins had been ineligible for Texas' license.
Depending on his other misdemeanors, Watkins might be eligible by now or in another state. Mostly, though, he has said that he considers licenses an unjust interference with what he calls his "God-given rights."
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