Dear Bill...Have Rod Apologize on TV!
On June 21, Bill O'Reilly, the strongly-opinionated commentator on Fox News Channel gave a spirited account of "lesbian gangs" across the country, engaged in "recruitment and indoctrination" of children to commit crimes and hurt people. His "legal correspondent", Rod Wheeler, reported that these gangs sometimes carried weapons, guns painted pink, and called themselves the "pink-pistol packing group."
Wheeler said, "These are lesbians that actually carry pink pistols," he told O'Reilly. "That's nine-millimeter Glocks. They use these. They commit crimes, and they cause a lot of hurt to a lot of people."
This whole issue was prompted by two separate reports, one of young girls forming "lesbian gangs" that allegedly harass the straight girls at their school, and another, unrelated report that gun manufacturers are marketing pink-colored guns in an attempt to attract female customers. Along with some potential confusion with our own Pink Pistols organization, this appears to have been expanded into, according to Wheeler, a "national underground network...of women that's lesbians and also some men groups that's actually recruiting kids as young as 10 years old in a lot of the schools in the communities all across the country."
There is no evidence that the "gay gang" DTO has ever used weapons of any kind. A report from Arcadia University about this issue would seem to paint a very different picture of this group that is "terrorizing" students.
But thanks to the helpful intervention of Radar Online, Mr. Wheeler was cornered and asked if he was aware of our organization. It turns out he is. He knows that we are a law-abiding and positive gun-rights organization and told Radar reporter Jeff Bercovici "I didn't want to make that reference or that inference to [the pro-gun-rights Pink Pistols], and I was afraid it might come across like that, so I apologize."
This is wonderful news, but frankly, it isn't enough. The original O'Reilly story has proved to have great "legs", and a lot of people are talking about it. A lot of people are confusing these imaginary lesbian gun-carrying gangs with our organization, and we would appreciate it if Mr. O'Reilly would invite Mr. Wheeler back onto his show to clear up this nonsense in the same arena it started -- on national TV.
Gwen Patton
Pink Pistols
International Media Spokesperson
Wheeler said, "These are lesbians that actually carry pink pistols," he told O'Reilly. "That's nine-millimeter Glocks. They use these. They commit crimes, and they cause a lot of hurt to a lot of people."
This whole issue was prompted by two separate reports, one of young girls forming "lesbian gangs" that allegedly harass the straight girls at their school, and another, unrelated report that gun manufacturers are marketing pink-colored guns in an attempt to attract female customers. Along with some potential confusion with our own Pink Pistols organization, this appears to have been expanded into, according to Wheeler, a "national underground network...of women that's lesbians and also some men groups that's actually recruiting kids as young as 10 years old in a lot of the schools in the communities all across the country."
There is no evidence that the "gay gang" DTO has ever used weapons of any kind. A report from Arcadia University about this issue would seem to paint a very different picture of this group that is "terrorizing" students.
But thanks to the helpful intervention of Radar Online, Mr. Wheeler was cornered and asked if he was aware of our organization. It turns out he is. He knows that we are a law-abiding and positive gun-rights organization and told Radar reporter Jeff Bercovici "I didn't want to make that reference or that inference to [the pro-gun-rights Pink Pistols], and I was afraid it might come across like that, so I apologize."
This is wonderful news, but frankly, it isn't enough. The original O'Reilly story has proved to have great "legs", and a lot of people are talking about it. A lot of people are confusing these imaginary lesbian gun-carrying gangs with our organization, and we would appreciate it if Mr. O'Reilly would invite Mr. Wheeler back onto his show to clear up this nonsense in the same arena it started -- on national TV.
Gwen Patton
Pink Pistols
International Media Spokesperson
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