Patterico's Pontifications

6/17/2016

West Hollywood: Community Officials Disturbed By Signs Encouraging Residents To Protect And Defend Themselves

Filed under: General — Dana @ 9:07 am



[guest post by Dana]

Officials in West Hollywood are voicing their disturbance at the appearance of signs throughout West Hollywood encouraging the gay community to arm themselves after the massacre in Orlando. The signs appeared on various city fixtures, including light poles, trash cans and near places of business in the community:

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“We are disturbed by them,” West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister said of the posters. “We don’t believe in an eye for an eye, and we advocate against gun violence.”

In addition to the mayor, Police Capt. Holly Perez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station, who noticed the signs while going on a run, believes the signs send a bad message:

I understand the sentiment behind them and 1st Amendment rights, but it’s a bad message,” Perez said. “I hope it’s just people venting that they could do this, and I’m hoping their calmness will take over. It’s our job to keep you safe.”

“I understand that people want to fight back after Orlando,” she said. “But there are ways to do that without a gun.”

A popular councilman also voiced his objections to the signs and the message being presented to the gay community:

West Hollywood Councilman John Duran, who is gay, said the signs were upsetting and not the right message for the gay community.

“Even during our heightened days of civil disobedience and protest, we have only advocated peaceful means, never arming ourselves and retaliating with violence,”

Contradicting the view of the West Hollywood officials, gun sales to gays and lesbians are spiking in various places throughout the nation:

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The Pink Pistols is an active national gun club meant exclusively for members of the LGBT community. It has always urged its members to arm themselves. The club offers guidance on the right choice of weapon, usage, and protocols that need to be followed. Aspects like proper selection of a firearm, acquisition of permit, and gaining adequate training to be comfortable with a gun in a safe environment are some of the activities the Pink Pistols undertakes for the LGBT community.

Gun shop owners in Denver have been seeing a remarkable spike in LGBT customers. These people have been arming themselves in anticipation of an attack, say the owners, reported KDVR. Apart from the regular clientele, even gun instructors have been increasingly greeting gays and lesbians, shared Mike Smith, a firearms instructor in Colorado Springs.

“I think right now because of what happened, people are looking for answers. You walk into a gun shop and you expect to see people, frankly, who look like me. I think we forget we’re a country of all people, not just people who fit that predetermined mold.”

Further, gun owners throughout the U.S. are signing up to train gays and lesbians to shoot a gun correctly and learn about gun safety. In a Facebook post that went viral, a transgendered writer has set up a place where members of the gay community can find a location near them. Also, if you are interested in volunteering as a trainer, here is what the group is looking for:

I am looking for experienced gun owners and concealed pistol carriers who will take a new person to the shooting range and instruct them in the safe operation and handling of a pistol. Ideally, this person will provide the guns and pay all of the range fees and ammunition expenditures.

Because this can be expensive, I’m not asking folks to bring along every gun they have and let someone shoot all their ammo. A modest selection of handguns (9mm, .380, 38 Spl, etc) and perhaps a shotgun or AR-15, and as much ammo as they think a new student might need — perhaps 100 or so rounds of each.

You can get necessary contact info at the last link.

–Dana

60 Responses to “West Hollywood: Community Officials Disturbed By Signs Encouraging Residents To Protect And Defend Themselves”

  1. This is all so ironic given that it was the left that made Orlando about gun control.

    Dana (995455)

  2. “We are disturbed by them,” West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister said of the posters. “We don’t believe in an eye for an eye, and we advocate against gun violence.”

    He then went on to fail to say, “So we are taking advantage of this opportunity to tolerate people who have different beliefs, and to celebrate our diversity.”

    CayleyGraph (353727)

  3. How dare you defend yourself, citizen! You should be dependent upon public employees for your safety.

    JVW (eabb2a)

  4. Did the police captain really say 1st amendment rights talking about fire arms,
    do they not know the difference between self defense and retaliation???

    No one should be allowed past 5th grade without knowing that.

    MD in Philly (7a5606)

  5. it’s not ironic at all, they throw all their constitutuencies to the wolves,

    http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7408750/howard-stern-gun-debate-orlando-shooting

    narciso (732bc0)

  6. Well see, there’s the problem. The pink pistols are not advocating gun violence either. They’re advocating armed defense. I suppose the mayor of West Hollywood would be ok with a mass shooting in her community.

    Ed (d115ca)

  7. Just as lefties fail to comprehend the difference between “positive” and “negative” rights, they fail to comprehend the difference between being an assailant VS defending one’s self from an attack by an assailant.

    All of these psychos and Islamic Jihadists make calculated decisions to visit movie theatres, schools, employee Christmas parties, and nightclubs — places where people have their guard down, and are not anticipating an apocalyptic assault.
    For “some ironic reason,” they never walk into a VFW Hall or a gun range and just start shooting.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  8. The Pink Pistols is an active national gun club meant exclusively for members of the LGBT community.

    So it’s legal to have a gay only gun club but illegal to have a straight only bakery, pizzeria or wedding hall? Interesting….equal justice under law my American a$$.

    Rev. Hoagie© (734193)

  9. Business opportunity. Open a gun club called “Straight Shooter” for heterosexuals only. See how that flies.

    Rev. Hoagie© (734193)

  10. “Gun violence” by the left’s definition must include both radical Islamic attacks *and* citizens defending themselves, otherwise the house of cards collapses.

    Dana (995455)

  11. Lauren the mayor and Polly the police chief. West Hollywood. Who cares? lol

    nk (dbc370)

  12. I think it is great,
    maybe a lot of LGBTQetc people will actually interact face to face with people who disagree with their lifestyle, dislike being forced to endorse SSM, but are happy to help them protect themselves from violence.

    MD in Philly (7a5606)

  13. That was referring to the Pink Pistols request.

    MD in Philly (7a5606)

  14. the reality is, unless you take the soma, there is a strong instinct of self preservation, among the people,

    narciso (732bc0)

  15. Yes, MD, it might be the first time the LGBT folk ever converse with those who are on the other side of the aisle. They may discover we are not the ogres President Obama has made us out to be. How ironic that the president blames the NRA and Republicans for Orlando, but it’s these very people who want to see the gay community be able to protect themselves.

    Further, that gun owners and pro-2nd Amendment citizens are the ones reaching out to help counters the left’s narrative of us being haters and wanting to see gays harmed (I heard an interview clip on Larry Elder yesterday where Chris Matthews made the assertion).

    Dana (995455)

  16. #12. Amen to your comment.

    Karen Ferris (4dd5be)

  17. this is also good in case of zombies

    happyfeet (831175)

  18. “BECAUSE HE’D RATHER DISARM AMERICA THAN ISIS: Obama has turned jihadist terror attack into personal gun war.

    It’s alternately terrifying and fascinating to watch a president who’s far angrier with the American Midwest than the Islamic Middle East.”

    https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/236525/

    Colonel Haiku (b4548f)

  19. #17 Colonel Haiku,

    Barack reminds me of the old joke about liberals’ sympathy for the devil.
    Two liberals stumble upon a man in a roadside ditch who’s been beaten and robbed. The one liberal says to the other liberal, “We need to find out who perpetrated this, so we can help him with his defense!”

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  20. I never stopped in West Hollyweird. And I won’t- next trip to Dana Point.

    mg (31009b)

  21. “If you self-identify as a Pink Pistols member, you are one” Count me in, even though AFAIK I am heterosexual. https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/the-history-of-lgbt…/

    Tom Hynes (f17712)

  22. It remains standard operating procedure for the left to keep various identity groups vulnerable and dependent upon local or state or even federal officials to take care of them. Why do these groups never bristle at the infantilization directed at them?

    Dana (995455)

  23. Why do these groups never bristle at the infantilization directed at them?

    brexit is go

    happyfeet (831175)

  24. I would rather have gays armed with AR-15s than a Syrian IS-infiltrated horde of refugees invading the country.

    Has anyone come up with a word like “bigot” to describe me for taking this position? I don’t know as it’s changing so fast.

    Steve57 (e33d44)

  25. she wants to make it clear, she’s not for cannibalism in the british navy, not much anyways,

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/exclusive-homeland-security-panelist-accused-by-daily-caller-of-celebrating-911-speaks-to-mediaite/

    narciso (732bc0)

  26. I love this. It’s about damn time the gay community figured out it’s a rather distinct target and took steps to counter that. The sad thing is it took a mass murder within their community to realize it.

    I’m by no means a master with my 1911, but any person who wishes to at least learn the basics only need ask me. I’m ’bout due for some range time anyway.

    Bill H (971e5f)

  27. Once the smoke cleared, I noticed an absence of anyone questioning what effect on the casulty count there would, or could, have been had someone in the club been armed (legal, licensed, etc) and able to engage the shooter early in the action.

    Is everyone so beaten down that the concept of self-defense, as mentioned by several commenters above, never chows up in the national discourse.

    Yes, it would make a bit of a mess of “teh narrative”…

    Gramps (39f97a)

  28. So, narciso, do you believe the version on mediaite,
    or do you believe that is revisionist disinformation?

    I generally find it real hard to have confidence

    MD in Philly (7a5606)

  29. The was premature…
    I find it hard to believe a Muslim who plays the 100% victim card.
    9/11 is not best described as an opportunity for conversation or however she worded it.

    MD in Philly (7a5606)

  30. I am sure that there are people who consider themselves Muslim who have zero interest in attacking Americans and it is quite unfortunate that they suffer because of the actions of others,
    but the number of Americans killed by Muslims for not being Muslim continues to be much greater than the number of Muslims attacked for being Muslim,
    to put it mildly.

    MD in Philly (7a5606)

  31. Pink Pistols is for the homosexuals, yes. But, it’s open to all who wish to join.

    The Gentle Grizzly (11fea2)

  32. Democrats had to choose between Muslim and LGBT constituents and they love that sweet sweet Arab money’s

    SPQR (a3a747)

  33. Jihad has many faces, one is jihad by immigration. Flood the target nation with immigrants, some for finance roles, some for logistics, some for general support, and all to assist the fighters.

    ropelight (596f46)

  34. I would guess that all these leaders clutching their pearls are in fact protected by men with guns.

    Patricia (5fc097)

  35. “I hope it’s just people venting that they could do this, and I’m hoping their calmness will take over. It’s our job to keep you safe.” — Police Capt. Holly Perez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station

    Except police agencies across the country are not obligated to do anything to protect you. They are only there to investigate after the fact and try to arrest the perpetrator. And when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

    “The crime updates were delivered on the heels of a report by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department that shows West Hollywood as the leader in per capita crime across its 23 patrol territories.”

    “Currently there are two foot-patrol deputies assigned to the nightlife district at Santa Monica and Robertson from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and sometimes Sunday evenings. First, we actually need at least four deputies on foot in that area; two that would patrol from Robertson to Hilldale, and two from Hilldale to Palm. This will ensure that deputies on foot are not covering an area too large for them to respond quickly when an incident occurs, and will ensure that they are visible more often in the alleys, side streets and sidewalks.

    Second, we need to adjust the shifts of our foot patrol deputies to coincide with the activity in the area. Shifts that begin at 8 p.m. and end at 3 a.m. mean that in reality the deputies are packing it into the station by 2 a.m. in order to complete their paperwork and tie up all the loose ends that remain at the end of their shift. This means that the foot patrol deputies are off the streets just as the clubs are emptying thousands of people onto the sidewalks and the nonsense is beginning. Starting the shift at 8 p.m. is useless because nothing is going on at that time other than the happy hour crowd taking the PickUp Line back to their homes.”

    Easy Target (6ce5ae)

  36. “BECAUSE HE’D RATHER DISARM AMERICA THAN ISIS: Obama has turned jihadist terror attack into personal gun war.

    It’s alternately terrifying and fascinating to watch a president who’s far angrier with the American Midwest than the Islamic Middle East.”

    https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/236525/

    Colonel Haiku (b4548f) — 6/17/2016 @ 11:02 am

    Coronello, it seems to me, appropriate hard on the heels of the anniversary of the Battle of Midway, a battle that Nimitz said was a victory of intel, that intel was worth an additional carrier battle group, to evaluate where we are.

    Intel wise, behind hind t*t. that’s where we are today.

    And the answer is, behind hind t*t intel wise.

    Steve57 (e33d44)

  37. Repetition being a technique. Let me know how it’s working.

    Steve57 (e33d44)

  38. It’s working. It’s working. It’s working.

    kishnevi (4cae8a)

  39. did my sarcasm, not make it clear, where I stood, like the carp that vanity fair did for huma,
    cair and mpac, reminds me of joe colombo’s mob front,

    narciso (732bc0)

  40. kishnevi @26, you will see the watch swing slowly from my hand. Slowly. And you will not remember. You will not remember. On the watch, kishnevi…

    Steve57 (e33d44)

  41. I brought up ms alavi’s argument clinic, to show what a pathetic shop they run over there,

    narciso (732bc0)

  42. No, kishnevi, just look at the watch as it swings…

    Hillary!was a great SecState, kishnevi. You want her to President and answer thee O’clock phone calls.

    No, don’t look anywhere else. Just look at the watch. The peaceful, peaceful watch.

    Isn’t it beautiful, as it swings…

    You are falling into a deep, deep sleep, and when you wake up…

    Steve57 (e33d44)

  43. it takes an extraordinary level of obtuseness, for this to be said,

    http://archive.is/4435z

    narciso (732bc0)

  44. …And I won’t- next trip to Dana Point.

    mg (31009b) — 6/17/2016 @ 1:20 pm

    Dana Point was once the home of one of my favorite gun writers.

    https://www.amazon.com/Gun-Digest-Book-45/dp/0873490436?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

    He died. I left.

    Steve57 (e33d44)

  45. curiosity about where omar went, or who sponsored him, is rather shallow,

    http://www.investigativeproject.org/4222/incoming-nyc-mayor-taps-pro-censorship-imam-for

    narciso (732bc0)

  46. Thanks for the clarification.

    MD in Philly (7a5606)

  47. Frances Mattel puts that last part together.

    narciso (732bc0)

  48. Did the police captain really say 1st amendment rights talking about fire arms…

    I interpreted this to mean that, in the captain’s view, Americans have a Constitutional right to talk about guns, and to use the word “gun” in print, and to believe that God approves of guns, etc. We just don’t have a right to POSSESS a gun.

    Then again, I’m possibly being too generous. This is West Hollywood we’re talking about.

    Rob McGee (b17a90)

  49. Under islam committing jihad absolves all sins. Moslems believe they get every infidel they kill as slaves in the afterlife. Homosexual sex is not prohibited in islam unless its with a male old enough to have body hair, look up Bacha Bazi(this is why Anderson Cooper likes moslem nations).

    If there was a guy with a shirt that said “Bacon Grease on bullets sends moslems to hell” the afghani moslem anchor baby would have gone elsewhere. But its likely everyone in the bar was for open borders and more moslems on welfare.

    Ali Mohamad Brown is a black moslem serial killer of gays in 3 states who used grindr to find his victims. Brown was caught 2 weeks after the Ferguson liquor store killer was killed by Officer Wilson. On 9-11-2011 3 gay jews in Boston got beheaded, the PC cucked police had not clues and couldn’t profile, but their next door neighbors were the Boston Marathon moslems. In Lewistown Maine last summer a Somali moslem beheaded a male nurse (sexual orientation unknown), Doctors without borders fled Somalia because too many of their people got killed by savage moslems for not giving top priority for a moslem with a scratch on his face instead of a non moslem woman that was gang raped. But stupid gay news covered the BLOND Philly woman that beat up 2 (((gays))) for over 5 months while ignoring all of those.

    Steve (fc37de)

  50. 29.Once the smoke cleared, I noticed an absence of anyone questioning what effect on the casulty count there would, or could, have been had someone in the club been armed (legal, licensed, etc) and able to engage the shooter early in the action.

    Gramps, there’s some discussion of that here:
    http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/06/23/an-opinion-on-gun-control-repost/

    mark (3b8dfb)

  51. Is Holly Perez going to disarm her police? There are ways to fight back without a gun, she says. Hey Perez, you first!

    Ken (b4c182)

  52. #53 Ken,

    Comment of the year.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  53. Thanks for that link, mark. I read correia45’s post at Monster Hunter Nation and loved it. Should be mandatory for all media clowns.

    Rev. Hoagie© (734193)

  54. > How dare you defend yourself, citizen! You should be dependent upon public employees for your safety.

    That’s the problem right here. “The system” wants its subjects to be dependent on it.

    as many as one (945609)

  55. real-life actual headline at national soros radio

    Investigators Say Orlando Shooter Showed Few Warning Signs Of Radicalization

    ur tax dollars at werk

    happyfeet (831175)

  56. “BECAUSE HE’D RATHER DISARM AMERICA THAN ISIS: Obama has turned jihadist terror attack into personal gun war.

    It’s alternately terrifying and fascinating to watch a president who’s far angrier with the American Midwest than the Islamic Middle East.”

    https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/236525/

    Colonel Haiku (b4548f) — 6/17/2016 @ 11:02 am

    Actually it’s just another day ending in “Y” if you know who this @$$hole is. As I’ve been saying since 2008 he only became President of his enemies to help his friends.

    I wouldn’t go so far as to ascribe to this mediocrity a plan to become an accomplice to kill Americans. But every time a Muslim does kill Americans he goes on TV to lecture in his smug, self-satisfied way that we brought it upon ourselves. He did it after Benghazi by blaming the First Amendment, he did it after Orlando by blaming the Second.

    I am NOT saying he wants to assist terrorists. I am saying that every terrorist attack on Americans proves, to his 1980 freshman leftist mind, he was right all along. And that the only cure is the same one that was carved into his brain by circa 1980 leftist academia. Our only hope is to become militarily weak, poor, and vulnerable. Then we’ll be so inoffensive to everyone we won’t have the enemies we have only ourselves to blame for making.

    Steve57 (e33d44)

  57. I can understand the impulse to elect Trump as if Trump is an outsider, but Trump has been swimming in this same circle jerk for his entire life.

    Steve57 (e33d44)

  58. Hey look, gun orgs making more money off of mass murder. Making money on dead bodies-what a great concept. ‘Murka.

    Nein (4d644b)


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