<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989</id><updated>2007-07-16T21:43:27.872-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Pink Pistols - Busting Caps</title><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/blogger.html'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default'/><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>11</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-2851723400121388204</id><published>2007-07-09T12:56:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2007-07-16T21:43:27.903-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Now THAT'S What I Call "Service"</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;UPDATED UPDATE:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Huzzah.  Please keep an eye out for flying pigs.  I have acquired a transcript, and it is good.  Not excellent, but good.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the July 6, 2007 episode of The O'Reilly Factor, hosted by Michelle Malkin, a "clarification" was given, and an apology by Rod Wheeler relayed second hand, by Bill O'Reilly's guest host, for connecting the Pink Pistols to criminal lesbian gangs calling themselves "pink pistol packing groups".  Malkin said, in a short, sweet statement:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote style="font-style: italic;"&gt;"And we would like to make a clarification on a segment aired last month about gay and lesbian gangs.  In that segment, Rod Wheeler, a former detective, said that some members of these gangs carry firearms that are painted pink.  And he inadvertently said they call themselves the Pink Pistol Packing Group.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"There's actually a gun rights organization called the Pink Pistols that responsibly advocates for the rights of gays to bear arms.  Mr. Wheeler says he was not talking about that group and has apologized for any misunderstanding. "&lt;/blockquote&gt;Unfortunately, we had internal reports that the word "respectable" was used in regard to our organization, while actually, only the words "responsibly advocates" were used.  But I'll take it.  It was on-air.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So what happened to cause Rod Wheeler, "law correspondent" on Fox News, to issue &lt;a href="http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2007/07/fox-newser-to-lesbian-gun-nuts-my-bad.php"&gt;his fateful apologies&lt;/a&gt;, including these words:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;"Humbly, I submit to you that as a professional, I am not too proud to admit when I've perhaps made a mistake, have misspoken, or have been misinterpreted surrounding a particular issue," he wrote. "I urge all who felt personally offended by the information provided to accept my apology, and let's focus and work together at addressing the gang and other real problems in some communities here in the United States."&lt;/blockquote&gt;My goodness, I think it was a little thing called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mr. Wheeler has been called to task by several highly-respected investigative journals, including&lt;a href="http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2007/06/oreally-bill-pink-pistols-not-a-gang.php"&gt; Radar Online&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?aid=274&amp;site_area=1"&gt;Intelligence Report&lt;/a&gt; (from the Southern Poverty Law Center), and &lt;a href="http://www.reason.com/blog/show/121263.html"&gt;Reason&lt;/a&gt;.  In addition, hundreds upon hundreds of blogs nationwide have expressed outrage at the unbelievably sensational and impossible to verify claims Mr. Wheeler has made regarding "rampaging lesbian gangs" throughout the Washington, D. C. area and across the country, including some that carry firearms "painted pink".  Even GLAAD finally issued a &lt;a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;ct=res&amp;cd=1&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.glaad.org%2Faction%2Fcalls_detail.php%3Fid%3D4031&amp;ei=PnWSRvzZGpuoeYyNhMIK&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHA8EGhJzpD4MVPgNx0dyUlndiwmQ&amp;sig2=A0F4NU8yCrlBK_8N4_WDlA"&gt;press release&lt;/a&gt; denouncing the heinous anti-GLBT bigotry of his report, though the slur against the Pink Pistols was studiously ignored by that organization, unlike the vast majority of others.  &lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;Another voice heard from:&lt;/span&gt; The prestigious journal &lt;a href="http://cq.com/"&gt;Congressional Quarterly&lt;/a&gt; has also &lt;a href="http://www.pinkpistols.org/pr/pp_vs_oreilly.html"&gt;lent their voice to the issue&lt;/a&gt;, in their print edition CQ Weekly.  (Posted with permission.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols did not ask for much from Mr. Wheeler.  Since his statements led to inevitable confusion in the public's perception between these gangs and our organization, &lt;a href="http://www.pinkpistols.org/2007/06/dear-billhave-rod-apologize-on-tv.html"&gt;we demanded&lt;/a&gt; that he issue a clarification and an apology for drawing the connection, since it had great potential for causing damage to the organization as a whole, and irreparable harm, including physical danger, to our members.  We requested a public apology in the same venue in which the damage had been done -- on Mr. O'Reilly's show.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We got our request, and more.   We were called "respectable", on a show that typically does not respect anything done by any facet of the GLBT community.  And Mr. Wheeler posted this on &lt;a href="http://www.rod007.com/"&gt;his own website&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;"During the O’Reilly Factor segment on June 21st, while engaged in a discussion on Lesbian gangs, I inadvertently stated that gang members carry pistols that are painted pink and call themselves the "Pink Pistol Packing Group." I was not referring to the gay rights group 'Pink Pistols' who advocates for the lawful rights of gays to carry weapons for protection.  Further, I mentioned that there are "over 150 of these gangs" in the greater Washington DC area. What I actually meant is that there are over 150 gangs in the Washington DC area, some of which are in fact lesbian gangs. Lastly, I mentioned in the segment that there is this "national epidemic" of lesbian gangs. A better choice of words would have been to say that there is a growing concern nationally, and especially in major urban areas, of increased gang activity, which includes some lesbian gang activity.  &lt;p class="style3" align="left"&gt;I apologize for any misunderstanding this may have caused."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;(In case you didn't know the technical term for this maneuver, this is commonly referred to as an "emergency bat-turn".)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now we've had the Michelle Malkin clarification, and an even briefer mention from Bill himself on July 9 -- just before his now-famous &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW3mbukHTlI"&gt;GLAAD interview meltdown&lt;/a&gt;, and plenty of apologies from Rod Wheeler, almost to the point of groveling.   We've gotten some very good exposure, and some people in the blogosphere have said some very nice things about us.  The only thing that never happened was that Fox News never did actually speak to us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm think I'll invite Rod to go shooting with us.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2007/07/now-thats-what-i-call-service.html' title='Now THAT&apos;S What I Call &quot;Service&quot;'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/2851723400121388204'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/2851723400121388204'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-5794717964123215290</id><published>2007-06-27T21:23:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2007-06-27T23:03:23.615-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Dear Bill...Have Rod Apologize on TV!</title><content type='html'>On June 21, Bill O'Reilly, the strongly-opinionated commentator on Fox News Channel gave a &lt;a href="http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&amp;orgId=574&amp;amp;topicId=100007214&amp;docId=l:630549858&amp;amp;start=2"&gt;spirited account &lt;/a&gt;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."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This whole issue was prompted by two separate reports, &lt;a href="http://www.nbc10.com/news/2857417/detail.html"&gt;one of young girls&lt;/a&gt; forming "lesbian gangs" that allegedly harass the straight girls at their school, and another, unrelated report that gun manufacturers are marketing &lt;a href="http://www.examiner.com/a-758096%7EPretty_in_pink_pistols_the_latest_killing_tools.html?cid=comment-m"&gt;pink-colored guns&lt;/a&gt; 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."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is no evidence that the "gay gang" DTO has ever used weapons of any kind.   A &lt;a href="http://gargoyle.arcadia.edu/tower/March04/lesbian_gang.htm"&gt;report from Arcadia University&lt;/a&gt; about this issue would seem to paint a very different picture of this group that is "terrorizing" students.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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 &lt;a href="http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2007/06/oreally-bill-pink-pistols-not-a-gang.php"&gt;told Radar reporter Jeff Bercovici &lt;/a&gt;"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."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gwen Patton&lt;br /&gt;Pink Pistols&lt;br /&gt;International Media Spokesperson</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2007/06/dear-billhave-rod-apologize-on-tv.html' title='Dear Bill...Have Rod Apologize on TV!'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/5794717964123215290'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/5794717964123215290'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-115016563038072128</id><published>2006-06-12T22:27:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2006-06-12T22:30:53.756-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Judge Rules Prop H Illegal</title><content type='html'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Philadelphia, PA (PP National) June 12, 2006.&amp;nbsp; Superior Court James Warren ruled that San Francisco's ill-conceived Proposition H handgun ban was illegal with respect to state law, and was therefore invalid.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Such a total ban is impermissible under the current statewide statutory scheme," said the judge. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chuck Michel, representing the NRA, who sued the City to overturn the measure, said, "We're thrilled that the court recognized that law-abiding citizens who choose to own a gun to defend themselves and their families are part of the solution, not the problem."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols, who became vocal early in the fight against Proposition H, contributed an amicus brief to the NRA lawsuit.&amp;nbsp; "It is entirely within the mission statement of the Pink Pistols to oppose such a fundamental violation of human rights," said Gwen Patton, Pink Pistols International Media Spokesperson.&amp;nbsp; "Our members can hardly engage in the lawful use of firearms for self-defense if owning them is not lawful.&amp;nbsp; The criminals and violent offenders wouldn't have paid attention to the law, so all this amounted to was punishing the innocent.&amp;nbsp; We are very pleased that the judge saw fit to rule on the side of justice in this matter."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The San Francisco City Attorney is considering whether to appeal the ruling.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols is the largest national organization for the self-defense of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons with legally-owned firearms, and has chapters in both the United States and Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CONTACT INFORMATION&lt;br /&gt;National Media Spokesperson&lt;br /&gt;Gwendolyn S. Patton&lt;br /&gt;media@pinkpistols.org&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2006/06/judge-rules-prop-h-illegal.html' title='Judge Rules Prop H Illegal'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/115016563038072128'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/115016563038072128'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-115011124107750713</id><published>2006-06-12T07:20:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2006-06-12T07:23:30.930-04:00</updated><title type='text'>NY Singer's Jaw Wired Shut Due to Anti-Gay Violence</title><content type='html'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Philadelphia, PA (PP National)&amp;nbsp; June 11, 2006.&amp;nbsp; Six or seven young men approach, accost, sexually ridicule, and then violently assault a well-known gay performer in the early hours of the morning, in full view of pedestrians.&amp;nbsp; As in the tragic case of Kitty Genovese, the eyes of city dwellers once again turn away, the voices behind them once again muttering "don't get involved...don't get involved..."&amp;nbsp; As a result, Kevin Aviance, 38-year old singer and drag performer, is beaten to the curb by a mob of thugs screaming anti-gay slurs and threatening his death.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to reports, two 20 year old men and a 16 year old minor were arrested in connection with the beating.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; All were charged with first degree assault as a hate crime.&amp;nbsp; But where are the other three or four persons who were shouting, throwing objects, and eventually punching and beating the young singer.&amp;nbsp; As a final insult, they stole his cellphone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apparently, bystanders waited until the victim had lost consciousness before going to his aid, by which time his jaw had been broken, a tragic injury for a singer planning to perform in next week's Gay Pride parade and festivities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"This is abominable on so many levels," said Gwen Patton, International Media Spokesperson for the Pink Pistols.&amp;nbsp; "Aviance was assaulted solely because he was queer, and perceived as a valid target because of that fact.&amp;nbsp; That in itself is something that requires immediate correction.&amp;nbsp; But more disturbing is that the public ignored the crime being committed in their very midst, neither going to his aid nor, from what we know, calling authorities until it was all over.&amp;nbsp; And worst of all, one of the perpetrators was a youth, clearly learning this vile behavior from adult role models.&amp;nbsp; They should be ashamed."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols is the world's foremost organization advocating the lawful use of legally owned and carried firearms for the self defense of the GLBT community, but many municipalities, including New York City, provide special challenges in that regard.&amp;nbsp; "We have a New York City chapter, but their ability to function is hampered by draconian gun laws and punitive policies that prevent law-abiding citizens from acquiring the necessary permits to be armed at the times when they need it most.&amp;nbsp; And the Mayor's apparent war on gun ownership, even by law-abiding citizens who have never been a part of the crime problem is not helping."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is the position of the Pink Pistols that, if more GLBT persons in New York City were able to lawfully carry concealed firearms for self defense purposes, even if Kevin Aviance was not among their number, he would be protected by the public perception that GLBT persons are no longer "targets of opportunity". &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NYC Chapter Organizer Jeton Ademaj commented on public persecption of gay-bashing: "I have been a longtime fan [of Aviance] and it horrifies me that every article about this makes a point of mentioning that Kevin was 'dressed like a boy', as if that somehow makes his assault more shocking. One after another, sexual minorities are attacked in any given part of New York City while the press ignores and some activists even applaud the defenselessness of the victims, whose cries are often ignored by passerby!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"As a group we try to provide locally legal self-defense training options. But when one person is being attacked by so many, the real solution is clearly personal firearms protection, which is unconstitutionally restricted here. Our United States Supreme Court must strike down these useless laws that make everyday citizens needlessly vulnerable to thugs. I have never seen a clearer connection between the lofty actions of politicians and the everyday needs of people like Kevin Aviance...our hearts go out to him as we wish him a speedy recovery. New York's cold-hearted Sullivan Law must be struck down once and for all, so that basic self-defense is available to us &lt;br /&gt;all."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Patton continues, "People attack queers because they're convinced the queers either won't or can't fight back, because they feel justified somehow in doing so, and because they don't think they're going to be stopped, caught, or punished.&amp;nbsp; We change that perception at step one.&amp;nbsp; We make it clear that, at least for some of the queer population, we can and will fight back."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In places like New York, where the Pink Pistols find it difficult or impossible to get the necessary permits to carry firearms, they explore other options that are lawfully available.&amp;nbsp; "But don't assume that because we can't carry guns that we're stopped at step one ourselves." Patton concludes. "We will find and use lawful means to defend ourselves from such attacks because it is our right to do so."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols is the largest national organization for the self-defense of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons with legally-owned firearms, and has chapters in both the United States and Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CONTACT INFORMATION&lt;br /&gt;International Media Spokesperson&lt;br /&gt;Gwendolyn S. Patton&lt;br /&gt;media@pinkpistols.org&lt;br /&gt;(610) 624-4678&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jeton Ademaj&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NYC Chapter Organizer&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:jeton@hotmail.com"&gt;jeton@hotmail.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2006/06/ny-singers-jaw-wired-shut-due-to-anti_12.html' title='NY Singer&apos;s Jaw Wired Shut Due to Anti-Gay Violence'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/115011124107750713'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/115011124107750713'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-114330335811268469</id><published>2006-03-25T10:42:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-03-25T11:19:37.853-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Kansas Approves Concealed Carry</title><content type='html'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Philadelphia, PA (PP National) March 24, 2006. The Kanasas legislature overrode the governor's veto, becoming the 47th state with a concealed-firearm law, and the 39th "shall issue" state, where law-abiding citizens are rewarded by not having to prove they have "sufficient need" to carry a weapon.  This leaves only Nebraska, Wisconsin and Illinois as having no law permitting concealed carry at all, and eight which require citizens to convince authorities they are worthy of the privilege.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The case in Kansas was strikingly similar to Wisconsin, in that the Governor decided to place herself in the path of the decision, vetoing the bill the first time it passed because of typical misapprehensions about law-abiding firearm owners. Where Kansas diverges from Wisconsin is that the legislature stepped up to the challenge and overrode the veto, an action the Pink Pistols heartily applauds.  The Governor, predictibly, is not as pleased.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I'm disappointed," said Governor Kathleen Sebelius. "I listened to law enforcement officers and the association of chief of police to feel to feel very strongly that this ability to have hidden weapons in our streets, in our parks and in our playgrounds makes Kansans less safe."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Hidden weapons" is, of course, anti-rights code for a firearm concealed from view, as if it were something shameful, something sneaky.  And the insinuation is that lawful firearm owners are just as dangerous as criminals who use guns in the furthering of their crimes, which is patently false.  Criminals with "hidden" guns are decidedly dangerous.  Lawful citizens with concealed weapons make cities and states &lt;i&gt;safer&lt;/i&gt;, and the numbers prove it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Time will tell.  Every time a state has passed a similar law, the anti-rights alarmists scream that "there will be blood in the streets," and that it'll be "just like the Wild West," but after a while, nothing happens.  There are no shootouts over parking spaces.  There are no wild, crazy sprees of permit holders going mad and shooting up the town.  There are no rivers of blood.  Instead, the crime rate drops as the percentage of citizens with permits rises.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Citizens in Kansas may start applying for their permits at the County Sherrif's office starting July 1.  The law goes into effect January 1, 2007, but permits may not arrive until after that.  There is a fingerprinting requirement, and a training requirement.  Only Kansas residents may apply, and must apply in the county in which they have lived for at least 6 months. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We eagerly await when the first GLBT Kansans step forward to start the first Kansas Pink Pistols chapter as a result of the passage of this new law.  Anyone interested in starting a chapter in Kansas should contact Pink Pistols National for more information at media@pinkpistols.org or info@pinkpistols.org.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols is the largest national organization for the self-defense of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons with legally-owned firearms, and has chapters in both the United States and Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CONTACT INFORMATION&lt;br /&gt;National Media Spokesperson&lt;br /&gt;Gwendolyn S. Patton&lt;br /&gt;Pink Pistols&lt;br /&gt;media@pinkpistols.org&lt;br /&gt;267-386-8907&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The full text of the Kansas bill can be read at http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2006/418.pdf &lt;br /&gt;(PDF link warning)</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2006/03/kansas-approves-concealed-carry.html' title='Kansas Approves Concealed Carry'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/114330335811268469'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/114330335811268469'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-113898933700723637</id><published>2006-02-03T12:55:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-02-03T12:59:38.606-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Audio Post: Puzzles Lounge First Response</title><content type='html'>The Pink Pistols Denounce the actions of Jacob D. Robida, who attacked patrons of the Puzzles Lounge in New Bedford, Massachusetts on Thursday night.  Until we can get a detailed press release written, here is our first statement on the subject in audio format:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="audblog"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.audioblogger.com/media/63872/305657.mp3" class="audLink"&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.audioblogger.com/media/images/audioblogger.gif" class="audImg"border="0" alt="this is an audio post - click to play" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2006/02/audio-post-puzzles-lounge-first.html' title='Audio Post: Puzzles Lounge First Response'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/113898933700723637'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/113898933700723637'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-113207144629923415</id><published>2005-11-15T11:09:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2005-11-15T11:17:42.613-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Pink Pistols Disgusted With Passage of Gun Ban, But Hopeful It Will Not Last</title><content type='html'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Philadelphia, PA (PP National) November 15, 2005 -  On Tuesday, November 8, 2005, 64,676 citizens of the City of San Francisco voted against 48,112 other citizens to pass Proposition H, which banned private ownership of handguns within city limits.  The proposition also makes it illegal to buy, sell, distribute and manufacture firearms and ammunition in the city.  According to the new measure, all residents who own handguns must voluntarily turn them in to the authorities within 90 days of it going live on January 1, 2006, or face penalties yet to be defined.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"San Francisco voters are smart and believe in sensible gun control," said Supervisor Chris Daly, one of the instigators of the anti-gun proposotion. "If Prop. H gets some handguns out of San Francisco and mitigates some of the violence, then it's a win."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the Pink Pistols have looked closely at the other cities and countries that have enacted similar bans, and have found such legislations to be not only ineffective, but counter-productive.  The cities of Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D. C. have total bans on handgun ownership, and share massive crime rates that skyrocketted immediately following the enactment of their bans.  The countries of Great Britain and Australia also banned private handgun ownership, and saw similar increases in violent crime instead of the drops predicted by those who enacted the bans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Scientific method is based upon the repeatability of an experiment,” says Gwen Patton, Pink Pistols International Media Spokesperson.  “In every case where private ownership of firearms has been revoked from the citizenry, it has not resulted in the predicted drop in crime.  It has instead caused crime to rise.  How many times does this experiment need to be performed before the experimenters realize it will not have the result they wish?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;More to the point, in every case where states have enacted “shall issue” concealed-carry laws that have given law-abiding citizens the right to carry concealed firearms for self-defense without unfair discretionary interference from the government, crime rates have dropped dramatically.  Multiple studies by the Justice Deparment, the CDC, and independent researchers have failed to link gun control laws to any significant reduction in crime rates, nor have they succeeded in linking lawful gun ownership to any significant increase in crime.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This latest attempt to replace real police work with “feel-good” wishful thinking legislation in the City of San Francisco will likely fail, as Proposition H is widely thought to be both legally unenforceable and against the California State law.  The National Rifle Association has already filed suit to fight the measure.  “The next few months will determine how the Pink Pistols can best get involved in the battle,” said Patton.  “We will be examining our options very carefully.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The need for individual self-defense is not insignificant.  The Pink Pistols reports that over the last year, violence against the GLBT community increased 7% in San Francisco, and 4% nationwide.  This makes the Pink Pistols even more necessary, especially in cities and regions where local authorities perpetuate either an anti-gun or anti-gay attitude.  “I blame some of the increased violence upon strident anti-gay rhetoric in the radical Right,” says Patton.  “When we have irate demogogues declaiming that queers are to blame for everything from hurricanes to the decline of Western society, some are going to it to heart.  Some will turn that vitriol into violence.  We acknowledge that not everyone will universally accept us -- but we will not accept violence upon us.  We will defend ourselves as the law allows.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols is the largest national organization for the self-defense of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons with legally-owned firearms, and has chapters in both the United States and Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CONTACT INFORMATION&lt;br /&gt;National Media Spokesperson&lt;br /&gt;Gwendolyn S. Patton&lt;br /&gt;Pink Pistols&lt;br /&gt;POB 60342&lt;br /&gt;King of Prussia, PA 19406&lt;br /&gt;267-386-8907</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2005/11/pink-pistols-disgusted-with-passage-of_15.html' title='Pink Pistols Disgusted With Passage of Gun Ban, But Hopeful It Will Not Last'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/113207144629923415'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/113207144629923415'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-112036573735844087</id><published>2005-07-03T00:42:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2005-07-03T00:42:17.363-04:00</updated><title type='text'> Now reports will come in from the field faster.  ...</title><content type='html'>&lt;p class="mobile-post"&gt; Now reports will come in from the field faster.  We have just implemented text-message mobile blog entry for short comments from the range&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2005/07/now-reports-will-come-in-from-field.html' title=''/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/112036573735844087'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/112036573735844087'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-111932259108865398</id><published>2005-06-20T22:56:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2005-06-20T23:00:35.220-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Audio Post: California's Outrageous Serialized Ammunition Plan</title><content type='html'>The Pink Pistols does not support California's Assembly Bill 352 or Senate Bill 357, which would mandate that all handguns imprint the make, model and serial number on each discharged cartridge; and that all handgun ammunition be serialized with identification markings.  Hear what Gwen Patton, Pink Pistols International Media Spokesperson, has to say on the subject in this audioblog post.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="audblog"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.audioblogger.com/media/63872/202364.mp3" class="audLink"&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.audioblogger.com/media/images/audioblogger.gif" class="audImg"border="0" alt="this is an audio post - click to play" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2005/06/audio-post-californias-outrageous.html' title='Audio Post: California&apos;s Outrageous Serialized Ammunition Plan'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/111932259108865398'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/111932259108865398'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-111931871499405512</id><published>2005-03-22T22:14:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2005-06-20T21:51:55.003-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Pink Pistols Denounce Street's Insult to Law-Abiding</title><content type='html'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Philadelphia, PA (PP National) March 22, 2005. "Mayor Street, in an effort to 'rein in the chaos', has unjustly insulted and accused thousands of law-abiding citizens -- holders of the Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms," says Gwen Patton, International Media Spokesperson for the Pink Pistols. "He has, for all intents and purposes, blamed the only persons who have proven themselves worthy of firearm ownership for heinous crimes they did not commit."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"There are approximately 28,000 active Carry Permits in the City of Philadelphia -- compare that to the five boroughs of New York City where there are 16,000 permits. We were compelled to issue more gun permits in Philadelphia in one year --2003 -- than there are permits in the entire state of New Jersey." said Mayor John Street, in a letter to Governor Ed Rendell.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mayor Street has not and cannot show that a single concealed-carry licensee was involved in any of the recent city shootings. Past experience would suggest that those responsible were, in fact, criminals, and not licence holders, who must have no criminal history. In fact, the prime suspect in the shooting of a 9-year-old boy in a van was an 18-year old with a criminal record, a person ineligible for such a permit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Teenaged thugs are already forbidden to own guns because they aren't old enough. But they get and carry them in defiance of the law.Criminals with records are forbidden to own guns because they have broken the law in the past and are not trustworthy. But they get and carry them in defiance of the law." says Patton. "Adding another law to ignore would not stop the criminals, and would only punish the innocent."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols can see NO reason to blame holders of the Pennsylvania License To Carry Firearms for the actions of such persons. It is akin to blaming those who take prescription medications for the actions of drug traffickers, and&lt;br /&gt;putting a moratorium on doctors in Philadelphia writing prescriptions because drug dealers are selling bootleg pills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Patton continues, "Mayor Street has said that, if he had his way, he would ban guns in Philadelphia. I suggest that the Mayor look at the gun prohibition experiences of Chicago, Washington D.C., The United Kingdom and Australia. In each of these places, where citizens are disarmed, violent crime is everywhere."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols denounce any attempt by the city of Philadelphia to adulterate PA gun law by seeking special treatment. Since the city has the highest concentration of crime, city dwellers have a great need for defensive tools. And GLBT persons in the city who wish this option should not be denied protection, especially with rising hate crime rates.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols is the largest national organization for the self-defense of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons with legally-owned firearms, and has chapters in both the United States and Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CONTACT INFORMATION&lt;br /&gt;International Media Spokesperson&lt;br /&gt;Gwendolyn S. Patton&lt;br /&gt;Pink Pistols National&lt;br /&gt;267-386-8907&lt;br /&gt;http://www.pinkpistols.org</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2005/03/pink-pistols-denounce-streets-insult.html' title='Pink Pistols Denounce Street&apos;s Insult to Law-Abiding'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/111931871499405512'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/111931871499405512'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13829989.post-111931813465373964</id><published>2005-01-04T15:44:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2005-06-20T22:03:33.393-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Pink Pistols Angered, but Not Surprised, by SF Gun Ban Plans</title><content type='html'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;January 3, 2004 (PP National) Philadelphia, PA: It is a truism of firearm politics that a ban is always followed by confiscation, and that is precisely what is being planned by the San Francisco City Supervisors. Supposedly designed as a response to the rising homicide rate and other social ills, a proposed handgun ban in the City of San Francisco would, if passed next November, require all residents to relinquish their weapons within 90 days. It would also forbid the sale, manufacturing or distribution of handguns, and the transfer of gun licenses.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols, the nation's largest organization for the legal and safe self-defense of the sexual-minority community with firearms, has a San Francisco chapter, and is outraged by this ridiculous and illogical measure. In every single instance where such measures have been enacted -- ostensibly to reduce crime -- the desired effect has emphatically NOT been achieved. To the contrary, crime rates have, without exception, escalated out of control, as criminals find it easier and safer to ply their "trade" without fear that their prey will be able to effectively defend themselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chicago and Washington D. C. have strict bans on handgun ownership, and have had them for years. New York has one of the most draconian gun control laws in the nation, the Sullivan Act. These cities have the highest level of crime in the nation, and routinely rotate the ignominious title of "Murder Capital" amongst themselves, only occasionally surrendering it to a new city for a short time -- such as Camden, New Jersey, yet another state where it is purposely made extremely difficult to own a firearm, and nigh unto impossible to carry one for defensive purposes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols are angry at the decision of the San Francisco City Supervisors to jerk their knees to the left in this fashion and blame inanimate tools for the crimes, failings, passions, and raw greed of human beings -- but they are not at all surprised by it. The demand to "ban the guns" is the eternal bleat of the coward who refuses to accept ultimate responsibility, not only for personal safety, but for individual actions. When one blames a gun for a crime, one forgets that there is a criminal with an evil heart behind it, with an itchy finger on the trigger. And, more importantly, one forgets that for every criminal that wields a gun, there is a much, much larger number of law-abiding citizens, armed with legal firearms, opposing criminals and foiling crimes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Yes, there are criminals who misuse guns," says Gwen Patton, International Media Spokesperson for the Pink Pistols, "but there are criminals who misuse cars, who misuse hammers, who misuse practically every tool, object, and device we make, own, or sell. We don't ban cars because bank robbers drive them away from the scenes of their crimes, or because drunk drivers kill people with them. The idea is to make the people better, so they don't commit the crimes, or if you can't do that, at least stop them when they do. A gun is the law-abiding citizen's best tool to stop the criminal in his tracks." The Pink Pistols have seen politicians frequently take the "easy way out" in legislating away violence, that responsibility is HARD, and avoiding responsibility by making more laws and scapegoating objects is EASY.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols have not yet determined the entire scope of their fight against this unwise and possibly illegal ban, but they will take the measures they find most advantageous in the months to come. At a minimum, concerned persons are encouraged to contact the San Francisco City Supervisors and express their displeasure at the consideration of this ban. The San Francisco Chapter is particularly upset that the City Supervisors felt it necessary to cut expenses by closing the Tom Waddell Health Center, but have invited massive expense instead in the form of lengthy litigation against this ballot issue. City Supervisors are expecting the issue to draw legal fire, which will cost the city an indeterminate amount of money to litigate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All this for a law of dubious value. If a ban of this nature would work as hoped, says Patton, Washington, D. C. would be the poster-child of peace and tranquility. Instead, it is one of the most crime-ridden cities in the nation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pink Pistols is the largest national Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender organization dedicated to the legal, safe, and responsible use of firearms for self-defense of the sexual-minority community, and has chapters in both the United States and Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CONTACT INFORMATION&lt;br /&gt;International Media Spokesperson&lt;br /&gt;Gwendolyn S. Patton&lt;br /&gt;Pink Pistols&lt;br /&gt;POB 60342&lt;br /&gt;King of Prussia, PA 19406&lt;br /&gt;267-386-8907&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.pinkpistols.org"&gt;www.pinkpistols.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;media@pinkpistols.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;San Francisco City Supervisors&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Michela Alioto-Pier - District 2&lt;br /&gt;City Hall&lt;br /&gt;1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244&lt;br /&gt;San Francisco, CA 94102-4689&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-7752 - voice&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-7843 - fax&lt;br /&gt;Michela.Alioto-Pier@sfgov.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matt Gonzalez - District 5&lt;br /&gt;City Hall&lt;br /&gt;1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244&lt;br /&gt;San Francisco, CA 94102-4689&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-7630 - voice&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-7634 - fax&lt;br /&gt;Matt.Gonzalez@sfgov.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bevan Dufty - District 8&lt;br /&gt;City Hall&lt;br /&gt;1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244&lt;br /&gt;San Francisco, CA 94102-4689&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-6968 - voice&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-6909 - fax&lt;br /&gt;Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tom Ammiano - District 9&lt;br /&gt;City Hall&lt;br /&gt;1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244&lt;br /&gt;San Francisco, CA 94102-4689&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-5144 - voice&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-6255 - fax&lt;br /&gt;Tom.Ammiano@sfgov.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chris Daly - District 6&lt;br /&gt;City Hall&lt;br /&gt;1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244&lt;br /&gt;San Francisco, CA 94102-4689&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-7970 - voice&lt;br /&gt;(415) 554-7974 - fax&lt;br /&gt;Chris.Daly@sfgov.org</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/2005/01/pink-pistols-angered-but-not-surprised.html' title='Pink Pistols Angered, but Not Surprised, by SF Gun Ban Plans'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.pinkpistols.org/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/111931813465373964'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/13829989/posts/default/111931813465373964'/><author><name>Gwen</name></author></entry></feed>