Liberals, and That Includes Gays, Are Buying More Guns Than Ever

"So, whatcha packin' there in yer pants?" This might seem like a question you expect to find on a naughty website like this one. But we're not talkin' dick, this time. We're talking about guns, and it appears that these days, according to a recent report and article from NPR, more folks in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other minorities, are buying guns, training, and getting their permits. Gun sales by conservatives surged during Obama and then Biden's administrations. Now the pendulum is swinging in the other direction, for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of who is leading this country.

Only had one ... now own three. All with necessary paperwork, concealed carry permit, insurance coverage and keep them handy in places NO ONE would expect. Know how to clean them, take them apart, put them back together, do target practice every week and have EVERY INTENTION to use them if necessary. (Robert, in reponse to this story reported by JoeMyGod.)

As "Charles" says of his reasons in the article, the level of vitriol turning violent is no longer a maybe, but a when. We saw what could happen when Trump turned his slavish followers to his bidding on January 6th and the storming of the Capitol. So more folks who aren't MAGA-affiliated, aren't conservative, want to feel prepared for when they might be the intended target. "He could dispatch citizens or the government," Charles says. "I'm not saying that's what's going to happen. What I'm saying is none of this is out of the question any longer."

"What I'm talking about is protecting myself from a situation where there may be some kind of civil unrest," says Charles.

The shift from the image of gun owners being solely white, rural, and Republican to more liberals owning guns started with Trump's first presidency, but has ballooned since he took office a second time. "David Phillips is on the training team of the Liberal Gun Club, which has chapters in more than 30 states and provides a haven for liberals to train and learn about guns. He says club membership has grown from 2,700 in November to 4,500 today. Requests for training, he says, have quintupled....'The concern is about the supporters of the right-wing who feel that they have been given permission to run roughshod at least, if not commit outright violence against people they don't like,' Phillips says."

Not all firearms owners are MAGA. Good to see regular folks enjoying their 2A. (Joe, in response to this story reported by JoeMyGod.)

"'I've never seen a surge like this before,' said Thomas Boyer, spokesperson for the San Francisco Chapter of the Pink Pistols, whose motto is: 'Armed gays don't get bashed.'" NPR says there's no solid way to discern whether someone is buying a gun out of political fear, but reports that he phrase "How do I buy a gun" has spiked several times over this past year. David Yamane, a professor of sociology at Wake Forest University, looks at the COVID lockdowns, George Floyd's murder and the resulting unrest, and the January 6th riot were contributing factors in the uptick of new gun ownership by non-white, non-conservative individuals. "We do know that in that year (2020-2021) that new gun owners were disproportionately African American (and) disproportionately female," Yamane said.

TRUTH! I purchased my first gun when Trump was elected his first term! Did not feel safe. Still don't and have my carry permit. (Michael, in response to this story reported by JoeMyGod.)

In response to NPR's questions for their story, the White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson gave a typical response: "Instead of covering Americans exercising their Second Amendment Right and trying to disingenuously blame President Trump, NPR should highlight the dangerous language from elected Democrats that has driven leftists to commit actual violence against Republicans – including the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk."

Liberal.

Gay.

Veteran.

Gun owner.

Conceal carry permit too.

Bought my first back in 2020 after moving to a house in a rural area. Law enforcement can be slow to get here. (Brad, in response to this story reported by JoeMyGod.)

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