After the terrorist shooting in Orlando, we have reported that gun sales are taking off, and that overall gun sales in 2016 are on pace to shatter 2015 numbers.
It turns out that gun sales aren't the only thing that has been increasing in the aftermath of Orlando, because as the Chicago Tribune reports, memberships have picked up in LGBT pro-gun rights organizations as well.
Matt Schlentz, president of the Utah chapter of the Pink Pistols, a national pro-gun LGBT organization says that membership has grown from 1,500 to 4,000 since the Orlando shooting.
"It's really a sad thing that something on this scale had to happen for people to realize this is a need for our community. But the reality is we still get attacked for kissing our partners or holding hands in public. We get windows smashed for having an equality sticker on them." Schlentz said, adding "Obviously, as a gay man, I have to have some liberal views socially. But on this one point, I have very conservative views. The reality is what it is – the world is a violent, terrible, scary place, and people do wish me harm based on who I love."
Pink Pistols organized in 2000 in response to a series of violent incidents like the murder in Wyoming of a gay college student Matthew Shepard, and some early slogans for the group were "Queers bash back" and "Pick on someone your own caliber" the Tribune reports.
Another pro-gun LGBT group that is seeing a boost after Orlando is Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah.
"As awful as Orlando is, I feel like this is a huge-eye opener for a lot of people that the world is not a perfect place, especially for a group that's at risk for this kind of violence. Security should be armed at all gay nightclubs, and all employees should run through a defensive shooting course once a year. When you think about supremacist groups, a gay bar is an easy target. And the shooter knew that. It was like shooting fish in a barrel."
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Sadly, this is where we are as a society. It's nice to see these groups exercising their 2nd Amendment rights, because eventually the brutal reality will reach most Americans (and everywhere else) that when there is social unrest, it will undoubtedly be too late to wait for help.
The post “The World Is A Violent, Terrible, Scary Place” – LGBT Gun Group Memberships Spike After Orlando Shooting appeared first on crude-oil.top.