Press Release: the Covenant School Shooting in Nashville

       

STATEMENT ON THE COVENANT SCHOOL SHOOTING IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Daytona Beach, Florida, 31 March 2023: Our hearts are broken by the senseless, tragic murders of children and staff at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Operation Blazing Sword - Pink Pistols denounces and condemns the actions of the murderer. It does not matter what the gender identity or sexual orientation of the killer may be; what matters is that all Americans strive to build a better world so that future generations do not have to face these horrors.

While we do not yet have enough information to truly comprehend the motives of the killer, in our zeal to condemn these monstrous actions we must be careful not to condemn innocents with the same brush. There are millions of law-abiding gun owners who have committed no crimes with their firearms, and yet are being charged in the court of public opinion with being culpable for these murders. Similarly, millions of peaceful transgender men and women are being called mentally ill, deviants, and other derogatory terms simply for trying to live as their authentic selves.

At no other time in recent history has the fight for both transgender rights and firearm rights been more critical. We have seen legislation limiting, or outright banning, gender-affirming care which has the potential to impact many transgender individuals and restrict their ability to live happy lives. We have also seen states, in reaction to NYSRPA v. Bruen, pass legislation limiting, or outright banning, lawful carry of firearms which have the potential to save many lives from violence against their person.

The ethos of Operation Blazing Sword - Pink Pistols has always been, and will forever remain, that Armed Queers Don’t Get Bashed. We declare, in the strongest terms possible, that our organization is defensive and only defensive. We denounce, in the strongest terms possible, any offensive actions taken in our name.

We do not act out of vengeance. We act only in defense. Anyone who does otherwise is not one of us, and we will act to stop them by any legal means necessary.

Operation Blazing Sword, Inc. is a grass-roots 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping queer people become responsible firearm owners through volunteer education by maintaining a database of over 1500 queer-friendly firearm volunteer educators residing in every state of the USA. It also submits legal briefs (Amicus Curiae) to protect the rights of not just queer people, but all peaceable citizens, to have access to the most effective tools for self-defense. www.blazingsword.org

Pink Pistols, a division of Operation Blazing Sword, is dedicated to the legal, safe, and responsible use of firearms for self-defense of the gender and sexual minority community. www.pinkpistols.org

Media Contact: Erin Palette