Vandals have altered an East Austin billboard for next month's Texas Firearm Festival so that it appears to spell out "Texas Fear Festival."
The Austin American Statesman reports that the billboard at East 11th and Wheeless Streets featured the festival name, and a likeness of an automatic rifle over the words "Shoot" and "Shop."
The festival is scheduled for Nov. 14-15 and is expected to attract 3,000 firearms enthusiasts.
Festival organizer Lee Johnson said he did not immediately contact the police, and instead joked in an emailed statement Friday that the vandalism occurred "Just in time for Halloween!"
Johnson even offered "the people responsible" free festival tickets, but also said that if they provided proof they'd committed the vandalism "we may be tempted" to turn it over to authorities.
