Uh, you guys ever hear of these folks?

[LonWilson]

They are called the "Pink Pistols". Someone posted a link to some photos from a 2000 rally for CCW rights in MN. Someone, who had a "Never Let Go of your Life Preserver" JPFO tee shirt, an NRA hat, and something to the effect of a poster saying something to the effect of (I don't exactly have the right wording):

Armed Queers Don't Get Killed

www.pinkpistols.org

So I looked at the website, and I was shocked...literally shocked.

A community of people who have an "alternative sexuality" (gay, bi, all that) who actually believe in the second amendment and the right to keep and bear arms? Who get CCW permits? Who go to a firing range? :eek: :eek: :eek:

You know, I'm going to admit that I've never thought of male homosexuals of the type to actually do these kinds of things, but then I thought about it for a second.

Who's considered one of the most attacked people on this planet? Who's considered the weakest? Get my drift.

I know some of you (hell, perhaps most of you), think homosexuality is evil and all, but what do you think of groups like the Pink Pistols? Since they support, very much wholeheartedly, the right to keep and bear arms, can you see beyond what they are and see that they are "brothers/sisters-in arms" in the fight against gun control?

[deej]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

DJ

[LonWilson]

Let me make my views known on the issue:

I don't have a problem with homosexuals. I do have a problem with some of them who parade down NYC streets once a year. :p

As a result of the entire debate about gay marraige, I changed my political opinion on the issue.

The determination of what is marraige and what is a spouse, should be taken out of the hands of the government, and should be in the purview of private contracts. The idea of a "marraige license" from the government sickens me now. Here in Florida, you have to go through a "3 day waiting period" for marraige. Idiots. :barf:

[peepaw]

We need all the help we can get......:rolleyes:

[stevetuna]

Responsible gun owners, be they gay, straight, tall, short, white, black, left-handed, right-handed, basically anything but Yankees fans (just kidding - even Yankee fans) need to stand together to fend off our common enemy, the gun-grabbing idiots.

Read "Black Man With a Gun". Great book. Talks much about the racism bundled in gun laws. The Pink Pistol folks want to avoid being beaten, robbed, etc., same as me. I want to protect my wife, daughters, and other innocent people. Sounds like they want to protect themselves and their loved ones. Good for them, and, if they'll lend their support to the RKBA cause, good for all of us, IMHO.

[LonWilson]

We need all the help we can get......

Care to elaborate? Look, no one is going to accuse you of being politically incorrect here. Let it out...

[WAGCEVP]

and welcome them with open arms in our fight to keep our RKBA...... who else are the politicreatures going to listen to re; "hate crimes".... we need these folks!

[BogBabe]

Sure, I've heard of 'em.

I have to wonder if they're demonized by the lefties because of their pro-gun pro-self-defense stance.

[LonWilson]

Well, it's probably because the lefties would have no defense against their statements. Remember that if Matt Shepard was armed with a handgun, he wouldn't have been strung up on the fencewire in Wyoming. He would be alive today. If course, Wyoming is one of the most liberal states when it comes to getting a license, but a huge majority of homosexuals are anti-gun rights, and from the interviews done with his friends and family, he was very anti-violence and anti-gun. Too bad his decision to be defenseless had costed him his life.

Think about it: The lefties would want homosexuals to be defenseless, because every "crime of hate" would be national news to peruse their own agenda.

However, they just ignore folks like the PinkPistols, and for good reason. All they have to bring up is "How can you try to pass all of these hate crime laws, when you could arm us with the best defense against hate crime, a handgun?".

Oh, and I found a picture.

http://www.a-human-right.com/ccrn

Look for armedqueers.jpg

[paratrooper]

STEVETUNA: Yankee fans don't need guns to avoid trouble . They just stare and scream "You want #$@&^*% trouble ??? I got your %$##*&^ trouble right ^%&*$%# here !!! This will usually disuade anyone up to and usually including your garden variety ax wielding homicidal maniac . One of da benifits of being a Noo Yawker .:eek:

[WyldOne]

i agree with WAGCEVP.

actually, a while ago several people on TFL recommended to me that I look into a local Pink Pistols group--since I'm a bit timid of the "macho" factor of learning about guns, and they are real good about playing that part down.

I've since met some of them, and they are great people. (Now I don't feel so isolated as being the only Lefty who supports gun rights--I can't tell you how important that is for me.)

and BogBabe, from the stories I've been told, they have been extremely demonized by their Lefty friends, co-workers, peers, etc. An indication of my own future, I'm sure. :(

[croyance]

Familiar with them, and really don't care about people's lifestyles.

As a matter of fact, if it is consensual and not infringing on anybody's rights, I really don't care. In that sense I am liberal.

Also in the sense I support gun rights I am a liberal (not "Liberal" the political party term).

And any reasonable voice that supports my causes are welcome. The more walks of like they come from, the better. It helps make the case that it is not just "gun nuts".

[Dave R]

They seem to be very effective activists for our cause.

[LonWilson]

Indeed. Considering the amount of violence committed against them, they are better than your average WASP when it comes to telling liberals that gun control sucks. :D

[faraway]

Heard of them a while back...good they're organized..the RKBA's can use all the broad range support it can get. And anyway after the Shepard incident and more importantly a series of various other attacks...maybe a few armed gays shooting some violent idiots would be a deterrent to that type of activity. The pink pistols problem will be that many of their erstwhile allies will 'pariah' them for resisting the 'noble-ization of victimhood'. And in from a certain view, their 'orientation' is consensual and legal...so from a RKBA's preservation view...who cares about the gay aspect of it all. The equivalent would be asking me (for example or some of the TFL'ers) how my little firearms collection...relates to hetero sexual practices. (it doesn't unless somewhere along the way..I find the Taurus toting woman of my dreams...and even then ...I doubt that question will turn up)

[LawDog]

Jumping Judas Priest on a pogo stick, that's a hell of a way to start up a conversation.

Let me give you a little Southern advice, amigo, if you have to post a warning in advance that a statement is going to be "blunt", or "rough" or any other kind of warning, then it's probably best to be rather more discreet in asking. At the very least, it is a question one should probably ask via e-mail or PM.

Several generations of Southern belles would have boxed my ears (metaphysically speaking) for that little faux pax.

Let's keep this one on the High Road, folks. This thread gives the first sign of going rodeo and it goes Lights Out.

LawDog

[LonWilson]

Hey, Lawdog, there's been no attempt to bash the Pink Pistols, or Homosexuals in general. Personally, I didn't know about the Pink Pistols until the last day or so. This wasn't an attempt to bash them, at all.

It just suprised me, okay? I was bringing up a point that the Pink Pistols would be a good group to bring into places that still either ban CCW or have restrictive may-issue laws to testify in front of a committee.

It would be very difficult for the liberals to attack them for being "gun crazy rednecks", as it's very well known that homosexuals are often targeted for sadistic attacks, such as curbing (curbing: The practice of breaking of shattering a person's jaw on a curb of a sidewalk, typically used against homosexuals as a way of denying them the ability to...well...I don't have to go into into details. Use your imagination).

Anyway, Lawdog, if it gets out of hand, I'll delete the thread myself. I'm also a forum admin at a computer gaming site, and I know about how things can go "out of control".

EDIT: I just realized what message you were referring to. That was really stupid on my part. I edited the message to remove the question. Sorry.

I also just realized that I can't delete my own posts. Oh well.

[Calamity Jane]

I knew about the Pink Pistols - more power to 'em! They're helping us fight the good fight for freedom. :)

(Now I don't feel so isolated as being the only Lefty who supports gun rights--I can't tell you how important that is for me.)

Hey, Wyld - I dunno if you've seen this site yet, but it's really good:

http://www.io.com/~cortese/resources/guns.html

Especially check out this portion of her site:

http://www.io.com/~cortese/resources/procgg.html

[jimpeel]

I heard about the Pink Pistols a couple of years ago and it bothered me not a whit. I love their "Bash this!" poster
http://www.pinkpistols.org/photos/poster/t_bashthis.jpg The full size image is at http://www.pinkpistols.org/photos/poster/bashthis.htm but is a slow loader.

All of their posters are at http://www.pinkpistols.org/photos/poster/Thumbs1.htm and http://www.pinkpistols.org/photos/poster/Thumbs2.htm

The Declaration of Independence states: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

No one said that homosexuals are in any manner excluded from that tract.

The Constitution states: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

There is nothing that excludes them from that, either.

These people are a powerful ally, regardless of your personal feelings on their lifestyle. They have the ear of many legislators who are fearful of their voting block and they can make a legislator tremble. We need to embrace them (figuratively) for their pro-firearms stance and welcome them to the fold.

[BogBabe]

I am glad to see this group is not a bunch of gay-bashing knuckledraggers here.

The Pink Pistols are, like women, among those who could most benefit from concealed carry. Anytime someone can break out of that liberal guns-are-evil mindset (like WyldOne has done, or is trying to do), I say more power to 'em!

The "Bash This!" poster is great!

[illuminatus99]

remember that since they could lend a helping hand in supporting us we need to make sure to support them as well when it comes to RKBA, we've got lots of experience with dealing with antis so we could probably help them out quite a bit.

as far as the sexuality issue goes I really don't care, when you've got lots of gay friends guess who gets all the girls when you go out. :)

[trapshooter]

Heck, the only gay people you know about are the ones that tell you.

Thank you, Jimpeel, for pointing out what should be obvious to us all. Bogbabe, I agree with what you said, also.

My personal preferences (rights) regarding private activities are very similar to my rights regarding self-defense. Your right to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose. My right to influence the actions of other people ends at the point where those actions cease to affect me and those I love and am responsible for or to.

Everyone, no exceptions, has the right to self-defense against unprovoked attack.

I too am gratified to know that everyone here seems to feel the same way I do. It's not the guns, it's an attitude.

[MuzzleBlast]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. HOO-ah!
I just might have to add that to my sig line!

[mnealtx]

... isnt' that "Bash This" poster some of your work?

I agree with the general sentiment of the thread...any and all RKBA supporters we can get, we SHOULD get. What they do behind closed doors is their business and no other's, just as it should be. Besides, I smoke, I occasionally drink, and I (gasp) own THOSE EVIL GUNS....who the heck am *I* to be judging what someone else does? :D ;)

[WyldOne]

thanks for the links, calamity jane :)

[Oleg Volk]

Janice Cortese was a strong influence on me when I started to learn guns. Her site is quite relevant to any beginning gunnie.

Pink Pistols site has a number of my images and my update-in-progress will add quite a few more. TFL has quite a few PP members and a count several among close friends. They neither hide nor flaunt their lifestyle, just pursue happiness to the best of their ability as do the rest of us. Being armed seems condusive to happiness and security, no matter who the person is.

http://www.a-human-right.com/_together.jpg

[LonWilson]

Wait a minute, Oleg, the guy with the NRA hat and the JPFO shirt with the pink pistols poster was you?

[Rickmeister]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Unfortunately Pakistan will one day turn against us, as all of our fair-weather middle-eastern "friends" eventually do. And then we'll be siding with...Iran? Iraq? Afghanistan?

Beside the point.

Huh? Pink Pistols? Is that like the opposite of gun bluing? So now we've got His & Hers guns. Terrific! Now my wife will want to shoot too!

:D :D :D

[Oleg Volk]

No, that hat belonged to someone I saw at a rally in support of shall-issue CCW in MN.

[DonP]

These folks, Gay and lesbians, are another example of people taking personal responsibility for their own lives and safety.

They, along with the black, hispanic and other traditional strongholds of the liberals, all prove that the concept of personal responsibility and the RKBA cuts across a broader cross section of the population than any of the left wants to admit.

The first goal of any group trying to dominate another is to stereotype and dehumanize them. The gay and lesbian folks know that better than anyone, from painful experience. That's what the anti's have been trying to do to us for years "white male, grammar school drop-out, knuckle draggers that date our own cousins, sisters and all have gun racks in our rusty pick-em ups".

I've seen TV news segments showing them training people in safe gun handling and marksmanship in LA.

We'll debate the other issues after we have jointly moved the anti's back 20 or 30 years together.

Welcome to the fight, says I.

Don P.

[OF]

Heck, the only gay people you know about are the ones that tell you. You got that right. The more gay people you know, the more the stereotype crumbles. Kinda like gun owners that way.

- Gabe

[D.W. Drang]

These folks, Gay and lesbians, are another example of people taking personal responsibility for their own lives and safety.
They, along with the black, hispanic and other traditional strongholds of the liberals, all prove that the concept of personal responsibility and the RKBA cuts across a broader cross section of the population than any of the left wants to admit.
Ahem.
Anyone remember the "Pagan Pistols" thread a couple of months ago...?

[LonWilson]

I wasn't here a few months ago. :D

[Shotgun364]

I think this is great. We need ALL FREE PEOPLE supporting and defending the 2nd amendment. Our greatest weakness is the divisions fueled by the extreme left about guns. The kind of BS that is bought without a thought by the uneducated masses. The kind of divisions that play upon race, religion and sexual orientation. Its not about that. Its about free people of all backgrounds fighting to preserve freedom. I dont support homosexual behavior but Im glad to see them fighting for their rights and mine. POWER IN UNITY. :D

[Hunter Rose]

... nope... don't remember it at all... ;)

[Calamity Jane]

You got that right. The more gay people you know, the more the stereotype crumbles. Kinda like gun owners that way.

Quite so.

I had several gay/lesbian friends in college, and I was aghast at the kind of harrassment and outright abuse they had to deal with.

Kudos to those who refuse to be victims and want to take responsibility for their safety and well-being; be they gay or straight, male or female, black or white, tall or short, old or young, et cetera, et cetera.

You're welcome, Wyld. :) And Oleg, Janis C.'s was one of the first sites I found when perusing the 'net for RKBA info, too.

[TearsOfRage]

originally posted by LonWilson
I was bringing up a point that the Pink Pistols would be a good group to bring into places that still either ban CCW or have restrictive may-issue laws to testify in front of a committee.

You've got that backwards.

The Boston Pink Pistols (only chapter I know personally) DO go to numerous political events in Massachusetts and the surrounding states. We were at that march at the UN this summer, and we carried guns (OK, Supersoakers...) in the Boston Pride Parade. We reqularly teach beginners to shoot.

What have you done lately?

[madmike]

My post got lost.

The Illinois chapter distributes flyers at gun shows and science fiction conventions, stating, "All we ask is that you SHOOT straight."

Colorful bunch. I know several of them including the Chicago area director.

[Meowhead]

The thing that popped into my mind was the Hello Kitty 1911.. :D

http://www.dentrinity.com/ClarenceLai/Img/mg07.jpg (http://www.dentrinity.com/ClarenceLai/Kitty.htm)

[IvyGroves]

I heard about this group a while back. I thought it was one of the best things I've seen in quite a while.

Back in El Paso years ago, I was run off the road and had my car window smashed in just because I had a gay passenger - by two guys who had know me for years. I learned about hate crimes the hard way that night.

I may be straight, but I carry a Pink Pistols card in my wallet.

-----
If time and space are curved... where did all the straight people come from?

I'm all for gay marriage - why shouldn't they have to suffer like the rest of us!

[444]

Yes, I am familiar with them. They have been discussed any number of times on here in threads very similar to this one. I have never understood why it is such an issue. I think it is a shame that we find such novelty in their group and see a reason to single this group out for discussion just because they have chosen the gay lifestyle. I only wish we could present a united front on this issue. Unfortunately many splinter groups evidently don't feel that they are represented by the other groups.

I would probably donate them money just like I do several other pro-gun groups. Again, as mentioned above, I wish I could donate to one group that represented us all, but instead I have to support NRA, GOA, JFPO, etc. Each of which duplicates a lot of the efforts of the other groups such as office staff, office space, newsletters/publications etc. Divide and conquer.

[LonWilson]

Back in El Paso years ago, I was run off the road and had my car window smashed in just because I had a gay passenger - by two guys who had know me for years. I learned about hate crimes the hard way that night.

*sigh* Unfortunate, Ivy.

[John G]

Why didn't Matthew Sheppard call 911? Didn't he know the police would rush to his aid?

[Jim March]

I've known about 'em for a long time, and know people in it.

Heck, when State Senator Haynes tried to get a minor CCW reform bill through this year (declaring hate crime and domestic violence victims "automatic good cause cases" for CCW), I spoke at the Senate Safety Committee hearing on the bill. Also present was a dude in *drag* talking about the very real threats. He gave a very effective presentation, too.

About four years ago, somebody did a study of who the gay bashers were in San Francisco. Turns out most of the attacks were in the "high gay population areas" (the Castro district, etc) and the bashers had come from out of town, often travelling 100 miles or more.

In other words, the gays had piled into small neighborhoods to get the feeling that they were in an accepting community, but they had effectively created "hunting grounds" for criminally violent bigots. The "feeling of safety" they had achieved was a total illusion.

All of this is giving liberal politicians a paradigm shift without a clutch :D.

[LonWilson]

This is yet another reason why Bill Simon needs to be Governor in California. He's the best shot at CCW reform in years, unless of course Jim is successful in getting a court to say that "good cause" statements are unconstitutional.

Jim?

[dZ]

those that do not use the search function, are doomed to repeat topics

;)
first TFL mention of the Pink Pistols: 09-16-2000
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39274

78 other threads:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=276649

[flinch_of_gt]

For historical purposes, "Pink Pistols" was an article penned by political writer Jonathan Rauch in www.salon.com a few years back.

It really throws the gun-grabbers for a loop.

[Thairlar]

I hope I know 'em. I took their candidate survey after all. ;)

[NIGHTWATCH]

What I love about this is that many groups that have not been known for RKBA support are surfacing all over the country. Its transcending political divisions and emerging as a human rights issue that crosses the board and appeals to all walks of life. I love it and I wouldn want it any other way.:D

[MuzzleBlast]

Anyone remember the "Pagan Pistols" thread a couple of months ago...? Merry Meet.
NOW DROP THAT F$%KING GUN!!
:D

[Khornet]

welcome, friends. Stay safe.

AS I've said before, once you see the first lie, the whole 'Matrix' becomes gradually visible. It was the lies about 'cop-killer' bullets and the 'undetectable' Glock in the early '80s that got me thinking, since I knew them to be lies. Next thing ya know, I'm a right-wing Bible-reading registered Republican NRA member. Bet ya fifty bucks these people move gradually right. Good on 'em.

[BrokenPaw]

I actually shoot with the Pink Pistols chapter in Northern Virginia. We meet every two weeks on wednesday nights at the NRA headquarters range at 7pm. Tonight, actually, is a shooting night, now that I think about it.

There are a couple of extremists on the Pink Pistols mailing lists, but certainly no more than on any other group. I've learned a lot from hanging out with this group.

In case anyone is under the impression that PP is an exclusively-gay group: The guy who is the chapter president in Northern Virginia is completely straight. Several of the Virginia members (myself included) are straight. The basic premise of the organization is that no one -- gay, straight, whatever -- should be excluded from learning about shooting, self defense, and the Second Amendment, if they want to learn.

I know that a number of women (straight and otherwise) have come to PP range nights because they felt like they were less likely to be intimidated and overborne by us than by (their perception of a lot of shooting groups as) a bunch of macho guys with attitude problems. Many of them are avid shooters now.

We have at least 3 NRA-certified instructors in the NoVA chapter, and I know that many PP members nationwide are likewise certified. We're bringing new shooters in from sources that might have otherwise gone untapped...

-BP

[Edited because I can't type and, apparently, can't proofread either]

[Mike Irwin]

Damn, if I had my new .44 Special, I'd swing out by the NRA range this evening and meet a couple more TFL members.

But, I haven't had time to take delivery...

[Standing Wolf]

I have more in common with homosexuals who support the Bill of Rights than heterosexuals who believe their irrational fears and prejudices trump the nation's civil rights.

[Hunter Rose]

Standing Wolf... I know how you feel there!

Got into the gun arguement with a gay once... his stance was "your right to own guns infringes on my right to feel safe!". Didn't like it much when I pointed out that his right to be gay infringed on my "right" to feel safe (not really, but good for the discussion)... ;)

I refuse to judge people by race, religion, or sexual preferance. Nationality, on the other hand... ya just can't trust those Quacks from Canada... :p

[Mike Irwin]

I ALWAYS judge people by race, religion, sexual preference, political leanings, etc...

Unfortunatly, I'm the only who usually comes out as lacking... :D

[UnknownSailor]

BrokenPaw - in case nobody has said this before, welcome to TFL.
If this is redundant, welcome aboard anyway. :D