Members of the Utah chapter of the Pink Pistols, a gay and lesbian group dedicated to Second Amendment rights, listen to their instructor during a recent concealed-carry permit class. The national organization's motto is, "Armed gays don't get bashed." (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

BY MARK EDDINGTON
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

    A gay Democrat firing a 9 mm pistol is not something you see every day in Utah County.
    But that was the scene recently at a Springville shooting range, where David Nelson assumed a traditional firing stance -- legs shoulder-width apart, a slight forward lean, arms extended -- with a semiautomatic and peppered targets.
    And he was not alone. Seven others -- though not all Democrats -- were there with him, taking the four-hour gun-orientation class from certified instructor Michael Stilwell. Their message for those who say guns and gays don't or shouldn't mix: Get used to it.
    Nelson is the founder of Pink Pistols of Utah, which aims to educate gays and lesbians about their Second Amendment rights in general and firearms in particular. Doug Krick, a bisexual from Boston, started Pink Pistols in 2000.
    Members say they have joined the group because they want the ability to fight back if they become targets. Gays, lesbians and bisexuals ranked fourth in the FBI hierarchy of hate-crimes victims, according to 2001 statistics.
    In the absence of effective hate-crime laws, more gays are turning to guns to defend themselves, families and friends. Utah's Pink Pistols -- formed in November and now the nation's largest chapter with more than 100 gay, lesbian and straight members -- are believers in the loose-knit organization's national motto: "Armed gays don't get bashed."
    Nelson says gays and lesbians should familiarize themselves with firearms for self-preservation.
    "I'm not advocating vigilante bands of gays and lesbians running around with guns and taking the law into their own hands," says Nelson, a Salt Lake City resident who also founded the Utah Democratic Gay and Lesbian Caucus. "But I've read about instances where guns helped gays and lesbians from becoming victims."
    Nelson and a partner were mugged at knifepoint in 1985 by "wannabe gang members" in San Francisco.
    While the couple lost only $20, Nelson remembers feeling psychologically numb from the crime. He believes carrying a gun would at least have helped him feel more in control, even though he says would not have used it in that situation.
    Salt Lake City activist Michael Aaron, another Pink Pistol, has been followed by motorists and had his front door kicked in because of his sexual orientation and advocacy for gay and lesbian rights.
    "The last thing I want to do is get in a situation where I need to use a gun," he says. "But if there ever was a situation calling for a flight-or-fight response, it's good to know the fight option is there."
    Self-defense is not the only reason for gun ownership and Pink Pistol membership.
    Nelson and others are interested in the competitive aspect of firearms, hoping maybe to compete in the Federation of Gay Games. Politics also helps explain some members' passion for guns.
    Aaron, for instance, was intrigued by the prospect of uniting gay activists from the political left with gun advocates from the political right. "I wanted to see what would result," he says.
    The juxtaposition can be jarring. Pink Pistols and traditional gay groups, the latter typically favoring gun control, do not see eye to eye.
    When Pink Pistols are not drawing fire in the gay community, they often are being greeted with rolled eyes and raised eyebrows.
    "It's great they are exercising their Second Amendment rights, but I don't see this as a real issue right now," says Michael Mitchell, executive director of Unity Utah, a lesbian and gay political action committee. "Utah is not a place that denies gun ownership to anyone."
    Others battling for gay rights favor passive or nonviolent tactics, the so-called moral high ground. But Nelson does not aspire to those heights, not if it means absorbing a beating or being killed while waiting for police to arrive.
    "Is a Matthew Shepard dead on a fence morally superior to a Matthew Shepard having to explain to law enforcement officers why he shot the two perpetrators in self-defense?" he asks.
    "If he had been armed like the perpetrators, there could have been a completely different outcome."
    Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, died in 1998 after being beaten and tied to a fence post.
    With their orientation class out of the way, the Pink Pistols will be applying for concealed-firearms permits from Utah's Bureau of Criminal Identification. Members are also setting their sights on changing attitudes on guns within the gay community.
    Utah's Pink Pistols meet monthly at various ranges. More information can be found on the group's Web site at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/PinkPistolsUtah.
    meddington@sltrib.com
      
 © Copyright 2003, The Salt Lake Tribune.