Michael Cargill
Michael Cargill is an American gun rights activist.[1][2][3] He is the host of the gun rights radio show, Come And Talk It.[2][4] He is also the owner of Central Texas Gun Works.[5]
Biography
[edit]Cargill was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[6] He spent his early life in Florida.[7] Later, he joined the U.S. Army and served for twelve years, earning Army Achievement Medals, Commendation Medals, and Good Conduct Medals.[6][7] He also qualified as a marksman and as a parachutist. After an honorable discharge as Sergeant, he moved to Texas, where he initially worked in telecommunications and later started a freight company.[6]
Cargill became interested in firearms education following an assault on his grandmother, which led him to focus on teaching self-defense.[7][8] In 2011, he founded Central Texas Gun Works in Austin.[6][9]
In 2014, Cargill ran for the Texas House of Representatives to represent the 50th district in a special election held in January, but he was unsuccessful.[10] In the same year, his store was named America's first Bitcoin gun store.[11]
In 2015, Cargill initiated a lawsuit against the City of Austin for its decision to declare City Hall a gun-free zone following the statewide legalization of open carry in most public places.[12] The legal dispute concluded in 2019, with Judge Lora Livingston of the 261st Civil District Court ruling in Cargill's favor and fining the city $9,000 for denying entry to licensed gun holders on multiple occasions.[13]
In 2017, a member of the Austin City Council nominated Cargill to a board addressing traffic issues in Austin, but he was rejected by other council members due to his views on the Second Amendment.[14]
In June 2022, Cargill served as the chairman of the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) of Texas, a group of gay Texas GOP members.[15][16][17] He continues to serve as the president of LCR's Austin chapter.[15]
In June 2024, Cargill successfully challenged a federal ban on bump stocks, culminating in a 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court decision.[18] The court determined that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) could not classify bump stocks as machine guns under existing legislation.[18] This ruling came after Cargill, who had surrendered two bump stocks to the ATF, filed a lawsuit arguing that the agency had exceeded its authority.[18][19] The challenge was supported by the New Civil Liberties Alliance.[18][19] The ATF's inclusion of bump stocks under the "machinegun" category followed the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.[18][19]
Cargill also provides firearm training for disabled individuals across Texas.[20][21][22]
References
[edit]- ^ VanSickle, Abbie (February 28, 2024). "In Fight Over Bump Stock Ban, Lawyers Take Aim at Administrative State". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "How the Gun-Toting Half Lives". www.austinchronicle.com.
- ^ Hall, Katie. "Activist sues ATF over bump stock ban". Austin American-Statesman.
- ^ "Free Country, by Rachel Monroe".
- ^ Cross, Bettie (June 20, 2016). "Gun sales up in Austin's LGBT community". KEYE.
- ^ a b c d Dorman, Keeley (April 16, 2019). "Michael Cargill: Texas' Fiercest Defender of Gun Rights". Texas Scorecard.
- ^ a b c Ortega, Hannah. "Truly Texan: What is 'a $20,000 bullet'? Gun rights advocate Michael Cargill explains". Austin American-Statesman.
- ^ "For Black Gun Owners, Is There a Difference in Carrying While Black?". July 8, 2016.
- ^ Austin, C. B. S. (August 22, 2019). "Man who had rifle in Austin park shouldn't have passed background check to buy it, but did". KEYE.
- ^ "Black gay Republican running for TX House on pro-life, gun-rights platform". August 12, 2013.
- ^ "America's First Bitcoin Gun Store". Forbes.
- ^ "Michael Cargill Wins Right to Pack Heat at City Hall". www.austinchronicle.com.
- ^ "Judge Fines Austin $9,000 For Banning Guns At City Hall". KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station. January 17, 2019.
- ^ "Gun advocate Michael Cargill rejected by Austin City Council for board position | FOX 7 Austin". www.fox7austin.com.
- ^ a b Murney, Michael (June 23, 2022). "Texas gay Republican group chair resigns over GOP's new platform". Chron. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Grant, Matt (June 23, 2022). "Gay Republican group chair resigns after blasting 'crazy people' GOP convention". KXAN Austin. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Riley, John (June 23, 2022). "Gay Republican Leader Calls Texas GOP "Crazy People"". Metro Weekly.
- ^ a b c d e Motley, By Dante (June 14, 2024). "Supreme Court overturns federal bump stock ban, siding with Austin gun dealer". The Texas Tribune.
- ^ a b c https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/us/politics/supreme-court-hearing-gun.html
- ^ "Austin man earns gun license despite having no arms | FOX 7 Austin". www.fox7austin.com.
- ^ "Texan young adults can now get licensed to carry handguns at college campuses, businesses". Dallas News. February 27, 2023.
- ^ Schneid, By Rebecca (August 10, 2023). "Texans do not need a license to carry, but some gun owners still want one". The Texas Tribune.