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the FAQs, ma'am - Frequently Asked
Questions |
(1) Who are the Houston PinkPistols?
A: The Houston PinkPistols
is a local chapter of PinkPistols.org, a group interested in
promoting practical self-defense among gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgendered individuals.
(2) Is membership in
PinkPistols limited to GLBT people?
A. Not at all. Anyone who
wishes to become a member is welcome.
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(3) What is required to
become a member?
An interest in learning to
take responsibility for your own defense, and an interest in
learning how to accurately and safely shoot a
pistol.
(4) How often do the Houston PinkPistols meet?
A: Twice a month. We meet at the middle of each month for
a shoot at one of the local gun ranges. We generally
meet in a coffee house or restaurant again at the end of the
month as a "sit down" social gathering and to talk
over some of the issues. If you're interested, please
see the "Events/Calendar" section. We also ask that
you contact the Houston PinkPistols so we know you're coming.
(5) You say that PinkPistols
is a self-defense group. Does that include martial arts like
judo, etc?
A. Though self-defense can
include martial arts, PinkPistols does not focus on those areas.
If you're interested, we certainly encourage individuals
who wish to pursue such courses to do so.
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(6) You say that PinkPistols
is a GLBT-friendly group. What sort of agenda are you promoting?
A. Just a focus on
individual self-defense for GLBT people. PinkPistols has no
other "official" position on any gay or gay-related
issues. Members are
welcome to think and believe as they wish.
(7) Does PinkPistols teach
firearm use?
A. PinkPistols has members
who are proficient in firearms and can certainly give you
pointers. However, we strongly suggest that if you've never
fired a weapon before, that you take some basic courses in
firearms safety and shooting. These are offered by many gun
ranges here in
Houston, and there are numerous instructors available.
PinkPistols routinely meets for a monthly shoot, and the gun
range we go to usually
has instructors on-site to assist you.
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(8) Is there a charge?
There is no charge to be a
member of PinkPistols. There are, of course range fees, plus
whatever charge there would be to rent a handgun, if you don't
own one, and the ammunition. If you have never fired a
pistol before and require instruction, then the instructor will
charge you for the safety and shooting courses. You don't
have to take them at the gun range we shoot at. You can
take them just about anywhere from a number of qualified
instructors.
(9) Why would gay people want to
shoot guns? Won't the police protect you?
Any number of reasons. The Constitution
of the United States and the State
of Texas guarantees the private
ownership of firearms. Therefore, we as U-S citizens and
Texas residents are merely exercising our right to keep
and bear arms.
When your life, or the lives of
your loved ones are in imminent danger, the police usually
aren't around. Calling
9-1-1 when an intruder is already
in your house is too
little, too late. The police will require several minutes to
respond; a lot can happen in several minutes.
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Third, there have been a number of Supreme
Court cases, from as early as 1856 (South
v. Maryland 59 U.S. {18 How)}396, 15 L. Ed. 433) to as
late as 1989 (DeShaney
v. Winnebago
County Dept. of Social Services), which
basically states that unless a "special
relationship" exists between law enforcement and the
individual, that the
police have no constitutional duty to protect you.
This includes even Columbine, Colorado.
Therefore, the police have
absolutely no reason to protect you, the individual, but only
society as a whole.
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Your
personal defense and those of your loved ones are
your responsibility.
The "special
relationship" has been defined as those persons who are
unable to protect themselves--those in police custody--and
persons such as confidential informants. Now, even the latter
class may be in jeopardy, based upon a recent court case in
California, Hernandez
v. City of Pomona (1996 WL 576770 (Cal. Ct. App. Oct. 8, 1996).
It's no secret that
gay people have been singled out for physical abuse. Here
in Houston, cases of
"gay-bashing" increase in the summer as
high-school kids from the suburbs drive into town to
"beat up some queers." Deaths have resulted
from such actions, not the least of which, Paul
Broussard a gay man who was beaten to death
the weekend of July 4th, 1991.
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(10) Do you guys think
you're Rambo?
Absolutely not. PinkPistols advocate
self-defense. We do not patrol or look for trouble. We simply
desire that members of the GLBT community
learn to defend themselves.
(11) What about statistics that
show someone owning a weapon is 43 times more likely to kill a
family member?
This particular research
project has been so thoroughly discredited, that
the man who conducted. the study, Dr Arthur Kellerman has been
accused
of "junk science". Had Kellerman followed
the scientific method he specified, the study would
have been a lot more accurate, and his findings would have
been vastly different. The
government agency which funded this so-called
"study", the Center
for Disease Control, or CDC,
found themselves defunded of over $2-million for
their support of obviously biased research.
There are scientifically
valid studies which show that nationwide, armed citizens
have prevented crime from 500-thousand to two-million times,
annually.
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(12) Having a pistol in my home is
ok, but what about on the street?
A: The state of Texas is one of 38
states that currently issue concealed handgun permits to
qualified individuals. Some of the requirements include that
you be 21 years of age, no prior felonies on your record, no
history of mental illness and be able to successfully pass a
concealed
handgun course taught by a qualified
instructor.. One portion of the course is that you demonstrate
proficiency with a handgun; in other words, you
need to already know how to shoot before you take the course, or
in all likelihood you will not qualify. You can click here
for the full Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) guidelines
for concealed-carry permits in the State. Most concealed
handgun course instructors can also answer any questions you may
have.
Again, the possession of a
concealed carry firearm permit does not entitle the holder to
think they are "Walker, Texas Ranger." Other than
the ability to carry a
firearm to use in your own defense, you aren't a commissioned
peace officer and don't have the authority to act as such.
There are also restrictions
regarding where you may carry your firearm. I again refer you to
the DPS website on concealed carry, or
a qualified CHL instructor.
(13) Won't people carrying guns on
the street turn Houston into "Dodge City'?
You are confusing law-abiding
Texans with criminals. The Texas Department of Public Safety
does not issue concealed handgun permits lightly.
All CHL holders undergo a through background check, and must
qualify with a handgun before receiving the permit.
Currently, the DPS website indicates that 241-thousand Texans currently possess a concealed handgun carry permit. Of those, around 15-per cent, or 36-thousand of them are for the Houston (Harris County) area. By law, the DPS is required to keep
statistics on CHL holders, and so far the statistics show that
CHL holders, as a group are more law abiding
than the average population. Full
CHL statistics are available on the DPS website.
(14) What kind of pistol should
I get?
A: That is up to you. If
you've never fired a handgun before, you'd probably want to
start out with a small-caliber pistol, such as a .22 and
work up to a larger caliber. Renting a weapon at a shooting
range will give you the chance to try different types of
firearms. If you plan to obtain a Texas CHL
permit, the smallest caliber permitted in the shooting
proficiency exam is .32 caliber. Further, whatever
weapon you carry cannot be
easily seen by an average member of the public (e.g. a
pistol-shaped "bulge" under your shirt, etc).You'll
also need to determine if
it's best for you to carry a revolver or a semiautomatic pistol.
Both have advantages and disadvantages. Considering this is Houston, and we also have to deal
with the heat and humidity a large portion of the year, weight
and size may also be factors.
(15) The Texas Legislature
recently passed
a hate-crimes statute,
Why do I need to carry a pistol?
A: Again, the focus of the
PinkPistols is practical self-defense. The hate-crime
statute will provide for longer jail-time for those who are
convicted of a hate crime. Waving a copy of the Texas
Penal Code at several people approaching
you with baseball bats--or worse--is not likely to influence their actions. They have already made a decision to harm you.
A pistol held in the hands of someone determined to defend
themselves will generally elicit a more favorable response
from your attackers.
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"The state that separates its
scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by
cowards and its fighting done by fools." - Thucydides
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