Pick On Someone Your Own Caliber
Thirty-one states allow all qualified citizens to carry concealed weapons. In those states, homosexuals should embark on organized efforts to become comfortable with guns, learn to use them safely and carry them. They should set up Pink Pistols task forces, sponsor shooting courses and help homosexuals get licensed to carry. And they should do it in a way that gets as much publicity as possible.
--Jonathan Rauch, Salon Magazine, March 13, 2000
The Pink Pistols are a group that promotes firearm awareness, education, and proper use, and is open to all shooters. They actively support political candidates who advocate the right to keep and bear arms, especially for purposes of self-defense.
One of the greatest challenges the Pink Pistols face - and one they seem to relish - is breaking down the barriers between gun rights groups and traditionally liberal groups. Their existence alone has sparked some thoughful deliberation in the gun-rights press, and has given the gay community something to think about.
Clearly, homosexuals and folk of other orientations have been common targets for bashing and other criminal abuse. These folks have decided not to take it anymore, and through their actions, they have tapped into one of the most powerful arguments for gun rights: to defend yourself against someone who, though you've done them no harm, just might want to kill you.
Ask yourself: what if Matthew Shepard had been carrying a gun that fateful night?
The Pink Pistols are on the web at the predictable location (www.pinkpistols.org)and offer links to several different resources for shooters, potential members, and activists.