An LGBT gun club has seen its membership drastically increase following the Orlando massacre in which 49 people were killed in a gay nightclub, according to USA Today.
Pink Pistols, a gun rights group for the LGBT community, has doubled its size to 230 members in the week following the Orlando shooting.
The group, which has 35 chapters nationwide, has seen its Facebook membership rise from 1,500 likes to 6,500 likes following last week’s tragedy, and many chapters have become much more active since last week, according to Spokesperson Gwendolyn Patton.
According to its website, Pink Pistols helps its members “select a firearm, acquire a permit, and receive proper training in its safe and legal use for self-defense.”
Dylan West, a gay man from Alabama and Pink Pistols member, believes in the importance of teaching gay people how to defend themselves. West says that attacks against the LGBT community are “nothing new.” The Orlando shooting has shined light on the issue. In 2014, the FBI reported 999 hate crimes committed against LGBT people in the United States.
“There’s always been a necessity for self-defense in the LGBT community,” West said.
Dave Kopel, an attorney and gun rights advocate, agrees with West in that the LGBT community needs to take action for self-defense because they are often targeted in violent attacks.
“People have to be their own first responders. Law enforcement tries to get there as fast as possible to intervene, but they can’t be there all the time and it’s good when people have the tools and abilities to stay alive until law enforcement shows up,” Kopel said.
While many people understand why members of the LGBT community are purchasing guns for self-defense in wake of the Orlando massacre, some people are skeptical as to whether gun possessing for self-defense is an effective solution. One of these skeptics is Timothy McCarthy, director of the sexuality, gender, and human rights program at Harvard University’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.
“The more guns we have in circulation, the more guns we have in use, that sets us up for more violence,” McCarthy said.
Despite his concern, McCarthy said that he doesn’t worry about the issue because the 6,500 members of Pink Pistols is a small percentage of the LGBT community.
Although the percentage of LGBT members joining gun rights organizations such as Pink Pistols is small, the increase in membership shows that many gay people view guns as a good way to protect themselves from hate crimes.
