Austin City Limit: Gun Owners of America Seek Resolution to Random Shootings by Two Juveniles who Cross Line from ‘Weird’ to Shooting Conspiracy
By definition, a conspiracy exists when two or more people join in criminal activity. Austin became the home to one such conspiracy, in the latest shooting spree in the United States, with a pair of juvenile delinquents allegedly responsible for the injury of two people. And it has Gun Owners of America spokesman Stephen Willeford thinking about what to do next.
Austin Police arrested a 15-year old and a 17-year old on Sunday after a weekend of over twelve incidents involving the pair. Along with the injuries, two pairs of fire stations were also invaded, and a shelter-in-place order was set up in south Austin.
The two had apparently stolen guns, with one suspect already having a warrant for his arrest for the theft. They then began firing across various apartment complexes, homes, and the fire stations.
If the allegations are as they appear, the reported actions would meet the basic legal definition of conspiracy: two or more individuals acting in concert to carry out unlawful conduct. The apparent coordination across multiple incidents suggests more than isolated wrongdoing, instead reflecting a shared criminal enterprise. That framing raises broader questions about how such collaborative juvenile violence is identified, charged, and ultimately prevented under existing statutes.
While no one was killed with this spree, one has to wonder if a better resolution could’ve been put in place to safely capture the suspects. Police did note that there was “no specific motive” behind the attacks, being “random in nature.”
So what to do in situations such as this, especially when it comes to gun safety? Willeford, who serves as the “hero with a gun” from the 2017 Sutherland Springs shooting incident, joins us now to discuss the situation further. We welcome him to the show!
Q&A:
- What are your thoughts on these two delinquents in Austin so easily being able to get their hands on an illegal firearm?
- What would have been the proper resolution when it came to stopping their Austin shooting spree, and avoiding injuries to others?
- Texas does allow open-carry and Constitutional-Carry in situations such as these. Could someone with such a license in Austin have been able to talk the pair down from their shooting spree?
- What kind of influence does social media have on youths such as these? Should the parents have to answer for their actions, especially when it came to them detaining firearms?
- Do you believe Open-Carry and Constitutional-Carry are proper resolutions to general incidents such as this? What about the states that don’t currently support them?
- You recently wrote a book called A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy, revolving around your 2017 “hero with a gun” situation. Tell us more about how this came together, and why it’s such an important read right now.
- Where can people find your book?
- Where can we learn more about you, as well as Gun Owners of America?
- You can learn more at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com. You can also read more about the Gun Owners of America at https://www.gunowners.org/.
About Stephen Willeford…
Stephen represents Gun Owners of America and is known around the country as the “good guy with the gun” for helping stop the largest Texas mass shooting in the history of the state in 2017. He is available to speak about all gun rights issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. He is the author of the book A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy. You can read more about him at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com
TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, CALL OR TEXT 512-966-0983 OR EMAIL BOOKINGS@SPECIALGUESTS.COM
