by Lynette Alice

Created on: January 16, 2009   Last Updated: January 19, 2009

The Pink Pistols isn't really so much of a gay movement as it is a gay defense organization in the most literal sense. To be perfectly blunt members of the pink pistols are the ultimate nightmare for many gay bashers out there. They are armed and well trained gays with attitudes that have reached the point where they became so fed up with being the victims or potential victims of violence based on nothing more than their sexual orientation.

Take for instance Dan Weiner, founder of the Houston Texas chapter of the Pink Pistols, a bisexual man and Vietnam veteran. Dan expressed his disgust, horror, and sadness at hearing stories from fellow vet's and co-workers about their gay bashing activities. "Weiner recalls one 70-year-old WWII vet recounting how upset his fellow soldiers were at the loss of extra spending money when the base cracked down on the routine beating and robbing of homosexuals." He readily admits some was bluster, but more than enough was true and could easily be verified through crime reports. Being gay anywhere in the U.S. isn't easy, in Texas it can be deadly.

It wasn't however until Dan heard a story related by a trio unaware of his sexual orientation (Dan was not yet out of the closet) about their previous nights entertainment of "fag bashing" as they called it that he had they idea to form the Pink Pistols. Dan tells the story of how these three man related their shock that the gays they chose to pick on actually fought back, and as one said, "They were really beating the crap out of us." Dan then realized that if gays decided to fight back instead of just taking the abuse over and over that like many bullies, these gay bashers might get the message and just stop. As the Pink Pistol's slogan says, "Armed gays don't get bashed."

While the pistols are regularly ripped to shreds on the Internet they do enjoy a ton of support in the real world. Being bashed on-line is nothing new to LGBT persons anyway and not the real concern of the Pistols. Getting bashed in the flesh and preventing that is! Even guns rights organizations have backed the Pink Pistols which was surprising to many people as the members of such organizations generally trend to the more conservative side of issues. The way the Pistols won them over however is through doing things the right way. Arm yourself for sure, but only carry a licensed firearm you have been properly trained to use safely. Even the police in many cases support the Pink Pistols because they have demonstrated

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