Texas Students Will Protest Concealed Carry Law by (Illegally) Carrying Dildos Instead

Jessica Jin, an alumna of the University of Texas at Austin, is protesting a new law, which enables people to carry concealed weapons on campus, by imploring people to attach dildos to their bags — an act for which one can be fined.

Jin started a Facebook group on Saturday, entitled Campus (DILDO) Carry, inviting participants to carry dildos on Aug. 24, 2016, which marks the first day of classes after the concealed carry law goes into effect on Aug. 1. Over the course of two days, Jin has garnered 5,000 supporters for her protest.

The law, SB 11, was signed on June 13 by Gov. Rick Perry's successor, Greg Abbott, as the rest of the country was stuck in a contentious gridlock over gun control. Jin is attempting to draw attention to the irony of social and collective priorities, as openly carrying a dildo technically violates the Texas penal (ahem) code. 

The student's campaign gained traction on Twitter, accompanied by the pithy hashtag #CocksNotGlocks. 

"Firstly, it is just plain funny," Jin said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle on Sunday. "A campus bobbing with dildos is the stuff of every prankster's dreams. It's also self-aware. We're all a bunch of dildos for allowing this debate to go on for so long."

"Another thing: It spotlights the masturbatory nature of the power which people derive from gun ownership, and the self aggrandizing 'I'm one of the good ones, I'll protect you' arguments we're so often expected to simply trust," she added.

The matter of gun laws on campuses, specifically, was up for national debate in the wake of the recent Umpqua Community College shooting in Oregon on Oct. 1. Certain buildings on campus were designated as gun-free, which pro-gun advocates argued facilitated the deadly shooting — had guns been allowed everywhere, many said, such a tragedy would not have occurred.

Some people on Twitter reiterated this logic in the context of the #CocksNotGlocks movement:

Jin says she's received death threats for her unorthodox protest. "It has been absolutely fascinating that some folks seemingly feel threatened or angered at the thought of people carrying dildos around with them," she told the Houston Chronicle. "They're incredibly offended! So much outrage!"

The irony of wanting to kill the person challenging the right to carry a gun in order to protect oneself from gun-crazed murderers is perhaps lost on those issuing the threats. Either way, Jin's approach is undeniably pushing the debate forward.