Pink Pistols International First Speaker Gwendolyn Patton has issued the following statement:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA) June 12, 2016: Early Sunday, around 2AM Eastern Time, the Pulse nightclub in Orlando was attacked by an armed individual. Approximately 20 persons were killed and over double that wounded when the attacker, whom police have identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old from Fort Pierce, FL, pushed his way into the club and opened fire on patrons. Weapons carried by Mateen are reported as an “assault-type” rifle, a handgun, and a suspected explosive device.
“It appears he was organized and well-prepared,” said Orlando Police Chief John Mina at a news conference on Sunday. Additionally, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said “This is an incident … that we certainly classify as a domestic terror incident.” Authorities say the FBI is involved. Preliminary information reveals that Omar Mateen’s family is from Afghanistan, though Omar may have been born in the United States. His family is reported to be distraught at the actions and loss of their son.
Gwendolyn Patton, First Speaker of the Pink Pistols, an international GLBT self-defense organization, warns people not to jump immediately to the assailant’s guns as the object of blame, but to concentrate instead on Mateen’s violent acts. “The Pink Pistols gives condolences to all family and friends of those killed and injured at Pulse,” began Patton. “This is exactly the kind of heinous act that justifies our existence. At such a time of tragedy, let us not reach for the low-hanging fruit of blaming the killer’s guns. Let us stay focused on the fact that someone hated gay people so much they were ready to kill or injure so many. A human being did this. The human being’s tools are unimportant when compared to the bleakness of that person’s soul. I say again, GUNS did not do this. A human being did this, a dead human being. Our job now is not to demonize the man’s tools, but to condemn his acts and work to prevent such acts in the future.”
Patton’s concerns are that knee-jerk gun-control efforts may make preventing future events harder rather than easier, as only the law-abiding potential victims will be affected by such laws. “It is difficult, if not impossible, to foresee such an event,” continues Patton, “But if they cannot be prevented, then they must be stopped as fast as someone tries to start them.”
Some bars and other establishments that serve alcohol are difficult to protect because many states forbid the carrying of weapons where alcohol is served, but that just as one might have a designated driver who stays sober, one might have a designated carrier with a concealed-carry permit who goes armed and does not drink. “It’s sad that we must consider such things, but when there are persons out there who mean us harm, we must find ways to protect ourselves within the law.” Patton concludes.
The Pink Pistols is an international organization dedicated to the legal, safe, and responsible use of firearms for self-defense of the sexual-minority community. Chapters may be found across the United States and Canada. Though the Pink Pistols is for the GLBTQ community, it is not solely composed of the GLBTQ community, and all are welcome to join.
Now would be a really good time for the NRA/SAF/GOA to throw every spare penny at getting this group in front of any media outlet that will give them airtime. For a change let’s not let our enemies define the battlefield on this one.
Yes.
This
very true!
Great! Where do I donate to get them out front of the MSM ASAP?
This group needs to be front and center on CNN et al to counter the anti-gun left.
I just woke up here on the West coast.
Thank you Dan for posting..
This X10000!
The Pink Pistols see it for what it really is. They are great people to work with.
It’s too bad more gays don’t join them.
I keep advocating for the “Rainbow Rifles”, a gay-friendly militia….
Too late.
Agree completely!
+1
Exactly.
+1000 Pink Pistols!
Intelligent, reasoned, and well said. Will probably be ignored by far too many.
It will be ignored because the people who aren’t gay clearly know better than the gays themselves how they should be protected. Because that has a great track record.
Knock on wood, at least I haven’t seen any victim-blaming yet.
This is 21st century America. You don’t need to qualify…
People who aren’t ____ know better than ____ how best to protect them.
So clearly the solution is to import tens of thousands of culturally incompatible, unvetted Syrian “refugees”.
What’s the worst thing that could happen… They’re all doctors, lawyers, and engineers; all the best don’t cha know.
We know that because all their paperwork was written in crayon on the inside of candy bar wrappers with only a few dozen grammatical errors. Good to go!
see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3637100/The-jihadis-cutting-beards-posing-migrants-slipping-refugee-boats-bound-Italy.html
They are already coming logic says. Getting to Mexico, blending in and crossing our weak southern border should be easy…
Yea, ok, fine.
Disarmed people were reactants, Islam was the catalyst.
This was an attack on them and they are targets just like all of us. They are victims and Americans first, just like any of us may have been the victims.
http://gatesofvienna.net/2015/06/stephen-coughlin-the-red-pill-briefing-parts-1-and-2/
The only question elected sheriffs and police chiefs should ask is…would the perceived risks of arming citizens limit the death toll in these attacks? 50k ccw’s do not produce 50 murders.
Armed citizens is the ONLY chance against Jihadist.
This. This. This. The Jihadi will always seek out the unarmed and the unprotected. The police will always be late. The only way to stop this is to have armed people everywhere, and that means armed and trained citizens.
The police will only be able to react second hand and clean up.
Of course, the best of the best are SWAT, and they took 3 HOURS to prepare, while listening to 50 people being murdered, over 100 shots fired while they “prepared”.
The first $1000 spent on firearms, ammunition, and training each year should be tax deductible, or even a tax credit! Only if you have a carry license, of course.
I have a carry license, its called the Second Amendment.
The first time I ever heard of the Pink Pistols was on a recent episode of “Gun Talk Radio” with Tom Gresham. The leaders of this group are great speakers who totally frustrate the identity politics of the anti-gun left. The Pro-Gun side needs to champion this group and support their voice. This is a great opportunity for their voice to be heard.
One of the most important things that should be heard from the voices of the Pink Pistols is to plead with their LGBT constituency not to give knee-jerk support to Progressive and Liberal candidates who are all on board with restricting everybody’s (except criminals) Second Amendment rights, starting with Hillary and going downhill.
We should ideally be a nation of diversity and tolerance.
But just in case, we should be prepared to shoot back.
So people in the LGBT community should throw their support to republicans who have proven to be, if not 100%, over whelmingly anti-gay. A start would be cleaning up the anti-gay horse shit in this forum.
So long as we are stuck with a two-party system, gays will never strongly support a party that has let itself be commandeered by religious freaks and propertarians.
The only way to get a party that supports the whole Bill of Rights and actually believes in liberty is to end the two-party system. And the only way to do that is to do away with Congressional districts and vote by party for House seats.
Have to agree with you.
Someone who truly supports the Constitution respects the right of every person to be who they want to be, love who they want to love, and marry who they want to marry as long as they are not forcing anyone or taking advantage of children, would not try to belittle or persecute any group for their personal beliefs. Sometimes I feel like the Democrats and the Republicans really don’t care about the people who they are trying to get to vote for them, it’s all just a ploy to get enough votes to push their agendas. And all these people who claim to be Constitutionalists and yet hate groups that don’t uphold their personal values need to actually read the Constitution and understand what the founding fathers were trying to accomplish.
My wife and I have LBGT friends who respect our beliefs because we respect theirs, and many of whom go shooting with us. The bottom line is that this was an atrocity no less heinous than the slaughtering of Jews in Paris or the murder of kids going to a concert. All this divisiveness is what will kill our country in the end.
As Thomas Paine said, “If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately.”
James38
Homosexual gun owners can continue to support the gun confiscation homosexual leadership if they wish.
They have had great success disarming San Francisco and limiting the civil rights of California citizens.
Hopefully groups like Pink Pistols can make a difference. I already contacted the NRA and suggested they get these good folks in front of a microphone to support gun rights and LBGT people arming themselves.
Face it, the Muslims want to kill LBGT people, Christians, Hindus, atheists, Europeans, Americans and anyone who isn’t exactly like they are. We all need to stand together and rid the Earth of this scourge.
I think a lot of gays and their supporters are missing some important points. There are always going to be people who disagree with you. I personally disagree with the gay lifestyle and do not condone the behavior. I however do not hate gay people. What gays need to see is most here in the US can disagree and still be friends living in this great land of Liberty. While the Baptist walking down the street may not like you or your beliefs he does not want to kill you….the radical Islamist WANTS TO KILL YOU. See the difference. It is time we stop with the petty BS of “I don’t like religious folks because they don’t support my gay lifestyle”. Get over it already! Attacking me for being Christian and my beliefs is no better than me attacking you for yours.
Christians also need to do a better job of not casting judgement on others when it is not our place. What we need to do as Americans is rally together and stop bickering about our differences and realize this atrocity could have easily taken place in a church, sports event, etc. Our common enemy wants to kill all of us and we need to focus on destroying them. We need to look after each other and defend freedom.
Like you, I am not pro-LGBT lifestyle. But go around calling for them to be killed. This should give the LGBT community plenty of reason to stand up for the 2nd Amendment and not to support the DNC.
The thing here is that this is their amendment just as much as anyone’s, and if they ay, they will never get it back. The Pink Pistols say it loud and clear.
For 21+ years I served in the armed forces defend the rights of all Americans. I Americans would wish to defend my rights. I don’t expect them to put their lives on the line. Just stand up for the Constitution and the rights of all.
As has been pointed out, Muslims are totally against LGBT. LGBT is one of the first groups the extremists would eliminate with extreme prejudice were in power. Of course, they would also seek to eliminate the intelligencia (teachers, lawyers, politicians, etc). They hate anyone with ideas which differ from theirs. Sadly, I believe them to be incompatible with our way of life.
I wish the statememt was stronger. “People hate us and want to kill us. When they do mount an attack they look for soft defenseless targets to inflict the most sensational number of casualties- whether with a bomb, gun, scimitar, or can of gasoline. When that happens, law enforcement is often minutes or hours away. We in the LGBT community are the first responders when we are attacked. Your options are to run, hide, or fight. We stand for the proposition that everyone has the right to defend themselves and be as well armed and prepared as the haters. We urge everyone to take advantage of their 2nd amendment rights. “
At this point even CNN and ABC are having a hard time pretending this isn’t Islamic Terrorism! How is it that they are still pretending that gays aren’t being murdered everywhere in the Muslim world with government sanction. What this Islamic Terrorist did is only different from what happens every day in Islamic countries because Orlando is here instead of over there, where the American news media can safely ignore it.The Pink Pistols need to be given the opportunity to speak out, and only a large organization like NRA can make that happen, because we know that the US media will ignore them if they can.
Well said and spot on!
Hopefully this sad event (with all the sharing of this article and Group) will finally get the Pink Word out! Sharing everywhere.
XO
Hey y’all…
I am not a gay man, but I am a huge proponent of an armed public, and I applaud you for your stance on firearms issues. My condolences to anyone who was affected by this evil act, whether directly, or indirectly. I would never wish that anyone would have to feel that their lives are in danger because of the ideology of any group, and especially Islamic extremists.
In another online forum, a gay guy was complaining about how a car of “rednecks” swerved up to the curb where he was walking, yelled and cursed and threw things at him. It reminded him of an earlier instance where it didn’t stop with throwing things; the attackers assaulted him with bottles and fists.
I suggested he contact the local Pink Pistols. The amount of screaming that “Carrying a gun only makes things worse!” that ensued was astounding.
Then he posted he agreed with me and is (finally) looking into getting a gun. Sadly for him, he’s in L.A.
Sharing this on the Gun Owners of Vermont FB page
Thank you for posting this
Exactly right. Designated carrier is a very good example of targeting the correct issue.
The patrons were sitting ducks. Florida law forbids carrying a gun in a bar unless the majority of business is food, i.e. a restaurant. This was in a Club, so it is a gun free zone, where only criminals are able to bring in guns.
Cheers to Pink Pistols!
Sadly, this group was attacked by California’s Lt Governor Newsom, Gov Brown, and many others for having come out against the Democrat inspired and senseless anti-gun bills seeking to become laws. I guess they don’t like LGBT as much as they profess if they don’t fall in lockstep with the progressive agenda.
Haven’t had a drop in almost 28 years. Have two CCWs in other states, just can’t get one in California. In spite of that, I’d still volunteer to be a Designated Carrier for clubs in SF. Where do I sign up?
Article interview about Sending Love to Orlando vigil June 12, 2016:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2016/06/hand-in-hand_easton_gathering.html
Video interview about Sending Love to Orlando vigil June 12, 2016:
https://www.facebook.com/tony.rhodin/videos/vb.100002576123712/1018185138277347/?type=2&theater
Blaming the gun is like blaming the car. He couldn’t have gotten to the venue without it. The car is not responsible because it had to be driven by the person. Likewise the firearm could not activate on its own, it had to be intentionally operated by a person.