Gays and guns. Quite an interesting concept. A group in Philly who call themselves "The Pink Pistols" are exercising their second amendment right. One of the main reasons is simply protection. The cover of the current Philadelphia Weekly reads, "Bash Me and You're Dead".

The Pink Pistols were founded in July 2000 on a lark.

Doug Krick, 35, a former Libertarian candidate for state representative in Massachusetts, had a few friends with whom he liked to go shooting. He knew that being gay and a gun enthusiast was a combination that messed with people's minds. He decided to form an organization that would erode the common stereotypes of the queer community. "It was all done tongue-in-cheek," he says from his current home near Chicago. "I wasn't looking to start a national thing. We just wanted to bring some attention to the queer perspective on guns."

He and his friends formed a Pink Pistols club in Boston, where he was living at the time. They created a website and word began to spread. Soon a chapter started in Virginia. And within a few months there were 20 chapters across the country.
There are now 42 chapters in the United States and Canada with an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 members. Every month some 500 to 800 members visit shooting ranges across the two nations.

[...]

"Being a Pink Pistol means you've decided to take responsibility for your own safety," she says. "I'm basically a nice, gentle person. But if they try to harm me or her ... "

She turns toward Leber, her partner.

"I will shoot them."

Who knew? Check out the entire article at Philadelphia Weekly.

-GS

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 3:55 PM. Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.