Ray Lamontagne Cancels Show Over Texas Open Carry Law

According to CNN, American folksy singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne, has canceled his upcoming show at the University of Texas at Austin in order to show his “disappointment” with the new state’s campus carry law. The show was meant to promote the upcoming new album and was scheduled to be performed on Thursday at the school’s Bass Concert Hall.

The school, which just recently passed a law which would allow licensed handgun owners to bring concealed firearms into the venue. This was unacceptable to the musician and he chose to take it to social media, posting on his Facebook page that he was unable to support this type of ideology and stating “I realize this is a controversial issue and there are strong feelings on both sides of it. But no matter how hard I try to understand the rationale for allowing guns on campus or more broadly, the ‘concealed carry’ law in general, I just cannot in any way support that ideology.”

Students, as well as faculty had fought SB 211, protesting, and rallying to their “cocks not glocks” cause before the law took effect in August.

The school responded with a statement that even though they regret the singer’s decision to cancel the show, however, they do respect his right to do so, stating that the law permits licensed gun holders to bring in handguns into plenty other performance venues, claiming that it makes everything a little safer.

This controversy has raised many critics to call out LaMontagne for being a hypocrit, by not cancelling the remaining two Texas shows, where concealed carry is still allowed. Ray responded stating “There are a lot of things this country needs more of, but guns aren’t one of them,” he said. “On behalf of myself and the band, and everyone involved in the tour, I want to express our collective disappointment in the decision to allow guns on campus, and within the campus venue.”

Texas in now the eighth state to allow concealed carry on public and private university campus in the US. These new laws will continue to have an effect on musicians decisions to play shows, causing them to think about the safety of their lives and their fans lives over the potential success of their shows.