The Pink Pistols, an LBGTQ group dedicated to protecting the gun rights of gay and transgendered individuals, has issued a response to the Orlando terror attack and to calls for gun bans. The group is urging the public not to jump to conclusions and to focus on the violent acts carried out by ISIS follower Omar Mateen, not on the tool he used.
“The Pink Pistols gives condolences to all family and friends of those killed and injured at Pulse,” First Speaker of the Pink Pistols Gwendolyn Patton said in a statement. “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.”
The group is also urging local lawmakers to reconsider allowing sober drivers to carry firearms into bars and clubs in the future for self-defense purposes.
"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," the group posted on it's website.
“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 added.
There are 45 Pink Pistol chapters around the country and the group has significantly increased membership in recent years.