As a parent, I’ve told my kids numerous times, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” when they were contemplating doing something that was perhaps technically allowed, but was either ethically or practically questionable. My son learned this lesson well when he posted something insulting about his teacher’s verbal tic on Twitter, and the teacher saw the post and was rightfully hurt by it. Sure, you can do it. It’s technically allowed, since you’re at home and not on school time. But is it wise? I forced the kid to take down the post and apologize to his teacher in person, and their relationship was somewhat salvaged. But this is a lesson some gun rights advocates have yet to learn.

Enter this jackass, who claims to be a “liberty conservative,” and who recently showed his fuzzy butt at the house of the Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen to accost the man on his own property while legislators were voting on a budget in Austin. The appropriately named Chris McNutt decided that the bill to allow Texans to carry their firearms without asking permission from the state (constitutional carry) wasn’t moving through the system quickly enough for his taste, so he decided the best way to address this travesty was to show up at the personal homes of Texas state politicians and advocate for his cause there.

After posting rants on Facebook about the bill’s lack of movement, he went to Bonnen’s home about 50 miles south of Houston last Wednesday while Bonnen was in Austin and his wife and teenage sons were home. McNutt also visited the homes of Reps. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock and Four Price of Amarillo.

The legislators weren’t at home at the time, but their families – some with little children – were, and this nutjob shows up at their houses and starts making demands?

Who does that?

Of course, McNutt’s actions angered Bonnen, who promised that the constitutional carry bill would go nowhere, now that a strident, psychotic ass canoe showed up at his house making demands.

“If you want to talk about issues and you want to advocate, you do it in this building. You don’t do it at our residences,” Bonnen said, according to the local news outlet. “Threats and intimidation will never advance your issue. Their issue is dead.”

But although I believe that Bonnen is being deliberately vindictive, claiming that McNutt showing up unannounced at his house demonstrated that he was an “overzealous advocate for criminals to get a gun,” and punishing all Texas residents who aren’t complete jackasses by infringing on their constitutional rights based on the actions of this one pushy clownshoe, I place more responsibility at the feet of McNutt, whose irresponsible, stentorian actions have just cost Texans progress in restoring their rights.

To be sure, McNutt had the right to knock on the legislator’s door and ask to have a conversation. Question is: should he have?

This douchewad drove 50 miles to confront Bonnen in his own home. Did he think Bonnen would immediately genuflect in front of him and promise to do better, or did he not consider that a morally corrupt, sniveling politician would do exactly what those in power do when they perceive someone is trying to intimidate them: use that power to retaliate against the perceived source of said intimidation?

McNutt probably didn’t think at all.

He’s like one of those jackass open-carry advocates who think that carrying their AR-15 into a Starbucks is going to win friends and influence people. That’s not how any of this works. Yes, you have the right to carry it there, but what you’re going to do is turn off potential allies, force a business that previously took an agnostic stance toward gun rights and just wanted to serve burnt, overpriced coffee in peace, instead of being used as a Mecca for toe-cheese “liberty advocates,” to take action if it perceives you’re impacting its bottom line, and make you look like a the complete, pasty, out-of-shape, Walt Mitty derpasaurus that you are.

Just whom do you think you’ll win over to your side by carrying a rifle to Kroger, neckbeard?

It’s not that I have anything against open carry, mind you. I can’t say it’s tactically smart, unless you’re super proficient and your lightning-quick reflexes will prevent someone from grabbing your pistol out of your holster, but hey – you do you. What I do mind is these slovenly, strident buttsprouts shoving their tools in people’s faces just to prove to them that they can.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

McNutt’s irresponsible squealing on the doorsteps of Texas legislators just ensured that Texas residents will not be able to carry their tools of self defense with them without asking the nanny state permission and paying license fees for the privilege.

McNutt claims Bonnen deliberately overreacted to his showing up on his doorstep and accosting his family.

No shit, Sherlock! Ya think?

How much of a douche canoe do you have to be if the actual AUTHOR of the gun rights bill you’re trying to advance thinks you were out of line and pulls his own bill from consideration because it no longer has a chance at passage?

McNutt’s squawking stridency turned off allies, to say nothing of potential supporters of the legislation who may have had the ability to move the bill forward.

Four months into the session, the constitutional carry bill remains pending in the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee. Bonnen appointed Democrat Poncho Nevárez of Eagle Pass to run the committee, which usually handles gun legislation, and Nevárez said Friday he no longer plans on having a hearing on the bill.

He had intended to hold one last Wednesday but opted against it because the House was debating the state budget late into the night. Debate on the bill would have started after midnight, with many witnesses expected to testify.

Way to set the gun rights movement back, McNutt. Someone please muzzle this idiot and chain him to a fence, so he can’t mess with others’ rights ever again.

This is a case of the cause being just, but the methods being counterproductive.

Featured photo courtesy of: Lucio Eastman; source: Free State Project – PorcFest 2009 – Open Carry, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic