So Breda links to this picture. In it a young woman with short hair (I won’t judge, but I think we should make note of it) is holding a sign lamenting that “Its Sad as a Culture we are more comfortable with two men holding guns than Holding hands”.
The fallout was pretty predictable. Breda said: “…no one will ever call the cops on you if you walk down the street holding hands with your boyfriend.”
I related this story (Not 100% on the details, if somebody can correct me please do in the comments): “there is a famous case here where a man’s coat was blown by the wind as he walked down the street. The only person to see his firearm was a cop walking a beat. The man’s permit was requested and produced, and the day went on. When his permit was up for renewal he was refused for “bad Judgement”, and he needed to get rid of all his guns (remember Massachusetts permits are to OWN GUNS!)
He did later spend several thousand dollars and many days in court to get his permit back (IIRC he still cannot legally carry concealed, but he was able to keep his guns)
Final note, at no point was this man charged with a crime, as he had committed none.”
Tam Chimed in with this: “I wonder when was the last time the person in this photograph got gunned down by the cops in a Las Vegas Costco for the crime of holding hands?”
Now to be totally clear I think there is problems on BOTH sides of this issue, and frankly I’m amazed at what a rift between the Gay Rights and Gun Rights Crowds there is. (Thankfully that is Not 100% True) Discrimination and denial of rights should not make a difference to anybody, its ALL wrong. That of course isn’t the case today. You have this woman who is concerned about gay rights and is perfectly willing to toss gun-rights under the bus to further her agenda. We also have the very real allegations of Racism that are coming out of the Obama Administration (Trinity United Church of Christ, and The New Black Panther Party are the two larger controversies) Seems that some people are claiming certain discriminations are preferable to others. To further conflate the tin ear of people a woman calling herself Lydia said the following:
You’re right, they won’t call the cops if I walk down the street holding hands. Instead I fear being beaten and raped so the narrow minded can “make a woman out of me”.
You have the 2nd Amendment. I have decades of legal hurdles before I can ever be seen as equal under the law.
In too many states I can be fired for being gay. I can be denied housing for being gay. In Alaska discrimination against me solely for being gay is still completely legal.
When we have equal rights, then we can talk about the annoyance of being arrested.
I have no idea if Lydia is the woman in the photograph, but she is claiming to be gay. Still first up I will note that she is legally protected from rape and assault, no matter the reason of the assault. I will note that in most cases a person lawfully carrying a gun being proned out on the sidewalk and having their property confiscated often has no recourse, nor does somebody who is detained while lawfully carrying in a state that does not require a permit (It could be said that a permit may be requested in a state where it is necessary to open carry) I will also note that the Police Chief in my story was not charged or otherwise punished for his actions, nor were his actions illegal.
Also all of her mentioned discriminations may happen to gun owners as well. When I rented I was always concerned that my landlord might refuse to renew my lease because a gun owner lived on their property. I do not share with coworkers that I carry while at work out of fear that company policies might be amended, or actions might be taken against me. As a tax payer and a citizen I consider myself a part-owner of places like the US Post Office, and I am disgusted that I could be arrested for carrying within said building, despite it being 100% legal for me to carry on the sidewalk outside said building. So the “When we have equal rights, then we can talk about the annoyance of being arrested.” strikes me as a statement of concern for ONLY the rights she is currently concerned with. DISGUSTING! I’ll end with a poem:
They came first for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
The most ironic thing is if Lydia was being assaulted (be they gay bashers or otherwise…it doesn’t matter to me, “Hate Crime” is as just a foolish metric as “Gun Death”) I would absolutely see it cause to draw my firearm, and potentially use it.
