Chris Cheng, one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and one hell of a shooter. (Photo: Fox)
(Editor Note: Long before gay marriage became a political football the gay community has had a core of gun rights supporters who have tried to educate both gay and straight people on the importance of strong 2nd Amendment support and personal ownership of firearms for protection. The Pink Pistols have been a genuine force for freedom for decades, and more than anything they show that the Democratic party has co-opted the sexual preference of a slice of our population for their own political gains. Guns and freedom are not political issues. They are fundamental rights. Homosexuality is a personal and religious issue. Yes, the original version of Bible, the one given to Moses on the mountain, says that male homosexuality is forbidden (Leviticus 18:22). It says what it says, and again, this is not a political issue. Below is our contributor S.H. Blanelberry’s “man on the street” take of the recent Chris Cheng and his performance on the “reality” show Top Shot. This is meant to spark civil discussion, not open the door to a flood of moronish comments that all say the same thing. We will consider it a forgone conclusion that most religious people don’t care for the political football that gay rights have become, or how the Obama administration has pushed the issue into nearly every piece of our lives. This article is meant to ask how you personally feel about it, when it is in fact the gay males out there defending our 2nd Amendment rights, and showing the generally anti-gun liberal crowd that owning guns for self protection is normal, if normal is such a thing.)
I’m pro-LGBT, meaning I’m for allowing people to love who they want to love and express themselves in whatever manner they deem appropriate. I don’t have any problems admitting that. I have some gay friends. Good dudes. Some like to shoot, some don’t.
I have no problem with efforts by the LGBT community to cross pollinate with the gun world and vice versa. I think we should welcome each other with open arms because when it comes down to it, we’re all human beings and we all have an inalienable right to self defense. The more accepting we are of one another, the larger the collective we have to fight to ensure our Second Amendment rights remain intact. Same holds true with respect to defeating anti-LGBT sentiment and discrimination.
With that mind, I’m happy for Chris Cheng’s success, the winner of History Channel’s “Top Shot,” the reality show featuring shooters from all different backgrounds, i.e. law enforcement, military, sportsmen, hunters, etc.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Cheng who is now an National Rifle Association News Commentator talked about his experiences within the gun community.
“When I auditioned, I was openly gay. But I was surprised as nobody cared. They only cared how well I could shoot and represent our season,” said Cheng, a former Google employee who left to pursue career opportunities in the gun world.
“There is this stereotypical view of the gun community as anti-gay rednecks, but nothing could be further from the truth,” Cheng continued. “It was interesting as the History Channel never ‘outed’ me on the show even though they had hours of footage. I asked why and they said simply that it just wasn’t relevant.”
Cheng believes that as a gun owner and pro-Second Amendment advocate it’s important to reach out to gays.
“Many in the LGBT community simply have never seriously entertained the notion of owning a firearm, or thought whether they want to be a victim or if they want to survive an attack,” he said. Considering that aside from race, sexual orientation is the second largest motivator for bias crimes, according to FBI Hate Crime Statistics, it’s perhaps time for more gays to start evaluating their self-defense preparedness.
Along these lines, recently, my friend Ben Philippi, a photojournalist that works with Guns.com, attended a “Gays with Guns” event at the LAX Firing Range in Los Angeles, California, which was geared at getting gays to get involved with their civil liberties. Here is the video Philippi released highlighting the event:
What are your thoughts on the diversification of the gun community? Do you support the LGBT movement?
Judge not , You be Judged
Who was it that said that when we feel threatened we reach for our guns and our bible? Exactly.What do many of these comments bring up? Guns and the Bible. Are we really the morons that Obama called us? I think not. I have no need to know if you’re gay, I do want your support for the second amendment. I honestly don’t care what your orientation is, and I don’t expect you to tell me.
The more of ‘them’ that support our gun ownership the better. In some states ‘they’ probably have more reason to fear than we do. At a time when we need help to keep our gun rights safe, the more people we need to support our cause. It isn’t just ‘our’ right, it is every single American that has the right. Rather than alienate a group that can help the right to defend ourselves, I’d rather have the numbers that we need. It isn’t that I don’t approve of their life style, I simply don’t need to know. What I want to see is shooters at the range who are respectful of the rules at the range, shoot safely, and enjoy the love of our sport. I’m a gun owner, a clergy person, a hunter, and I carry because I have the right to. A person who is sane and lives within the laws we all have to follow is a person that I want to join the ranks of gun ownership. If an individual has decided to flaunt their sexual preference, I honestly don’t care, and I honestly am completely unconcerned. Some of the people I know that are lawful gun owners I won’t shoot with because they are reckless and not safe shooters. If I’m standing next to a LBGT at the range who is practicing safe shooting, following the rules of the range, given the choice I’d rather have that person next to me with a weapon than some of the straight people that I know very well. Last time I filled out my gun purchase info, yesterday, there was no check box for sexual orientation. Their rights exist in our constitution, period. You are fighting a battle that is useless. I’m not asking anybody to change their thinking on sexual orientation, the Bible, their God. You have that right. Save your energy for our rights to bear arms because that’s where we need it.
Anyone else catch the atheists quoting scriptures? Wow!! Talk about contradicting yourself. Any who, if Homosexuality continues to grow over the next 100 years, and the majority population is homosexual, civilization will end itself. Process of elimination. Won’t need guns then will we? People now days don’t see the issue as a big deal, but long, and short term it’s one of the biggest issues that America has ever faced, or ever will in the future. Think of it like this. If I declared I was Gay tomorrow my family tree stops tomorrow. If Homosexuality was the right way, then God, or whoever you believe created you, would allow your gay partner to conceive a child so human kind could continue. Doesn’t happen that way. The idea of Homosexuality doesn’t only contradict us as Americans but as humans. Shooting is a sport that has been passed down through my family as far back as we know. How can a homosexual pass it down to child conceived through a Gay relationship? Impossible!! If you are a true pro-gun person then you should see why this is a problem. When people go away, pro gun people go away. Yea you can teach 2nd amendment rights to homosexuals, but that’s as far down as it will be passed. I’d rather show my knowledge about guns, gun rights, and gun safety to my children than have it go out void. BTW, anyone catch the pic above of gas with guns? Why dress like a woman? Are they insinuating we don’t need women by dressing as one? That’s a whole other subject.
It is good to know the basis for other people’s beliefs and opinions regardless of whether we agree with them. There is no contradiction in referring to scriptures from someone else’ religion to suggest that perhaps there may be some hypocrisy in their harsh criticism of someone who doesn’t believe as they do. It is also good to know that there are times to keep certain opinions to ourselves instead of insisting on injecting every facet of our beliefs into a conversation in which they are just irrelevant and divisive.
What I took out of the main article was that there is support for Second Amendment rights among groups of people who might typically be a voting bloc that tends to elect politicians who don’t have very good prospects of supporting Second Amendment rights. I’d even say the article seems to be an outreach to those groups. We need them to be voicing their support of Second Amendment rights to their elected representatives in order to ensure that the rights are preserved regardless of which political party is in power.
Any bible believing Christian who follows the road map (which is the bible) that God has given us should read Romans chapter 1 verse 26. It Clearly states if Homosexuality is right in the eyes of God. Not just Paul or anyone else that have written books in the bible. These people were anointed by God. For those of you in whom God doesn’t dwell with, this means God is writing through them. I am not trying to argue or get someone else’s opinion on my views. I’m simply putting my views and opinions out there because I feel as if I should. This is what most of the people are commenting about, which is the situation as seen through there eyes. I am appreciative of anyone in this world that is a gun owner. Just keep it to guns. Does anyone celebrate excessively because a man who is hederosexual wins a 3 gun competition? Highly doubtful!
Just like any other right, it doesn’t say ‘Only x gets to do this’ at the front of it. If you like guns and want one, get one. If you don’t, don’t. I don’t care who you are/what you do/who you do. I only care when you try to stop me from exercising my rights.
As for anyone claiming to be a christian and saying somehow jesus christ spoke against gays, you can’t use the old testament as a source material. Jesus Christ didn’t say boo about being gay, only his followers.
I’m perfectly happy with my choice to believe Jesus Christ accepts gays. God doesn’t make mistakes, and he put gay people on this planet to free up room in heaven for the real folks. I want a web cam at the gates of hell to show me the look on all them holier than though folks who’ve used the bible to persecute gay people. It’d be pretty funny to see their faces when they show up at the wrong gate and are informed it’s because how they treated gay people that they get to spend their eternity in hell. Fred Phelps especially.
I want to preface this by saying that I am both Christian and white of Hispanic heritage).
As Americans, and as 2nd Ammendment activists/supporters, I think we need to encourage all Americans who are able to exercise their Constitutional rights, to do so. The Constitution is for all Americans, including those Americans who are different than us, and even those Americans we disagree with.
We ought to embrace women, gays, blacks, Latinos, Asians, atheists, Muslims, and any other sort of American who is interested in exercising their rights. I’m not saying that everyone ought to be welcome in your dining room or congregation. I’m not saying that it’s not ok to be grossed out by gay sex. I’m saying that sometimes we ought to step back and remember that we are Americans, and gun owners, and we should spend more time drawing allies to our cause than driving people away. Some of the most enthusiastic gun rights activists I have known were gay or Jewish or both. Why would we want to alienate highly-motivated gun rights enthusiasts? Talk that drives people away is counter-productive and only serves the gun-grabbers.
We need to do ourselves more favors, get over any unease we may have, welcome new shooters wherever we may find them, and remember that our Constitutional rights are American rights, not just white Christian rights.
Well said. Thank you.
Being a lifetime Lesbian, I tried marrying a man so I could do the “right thing”, in between my relationships. I was married 20 years, and had 4 children. The entire time, I longed for the touch and companionship of a woman. I stayed with him, even tho he cheated on me at least 8 times, that I could prove. Finally, he wanted someone else and gave me my “out”. My point is: You can not deny yourself the desires that burn inside you. It’s NOT a choice, it’s built into the cells of your body. There is no choice. I am currently an owner of several firearms, a Lifetime member of the NRA, and a member of USCCA. I shoot very well, whether it’s a hand gun or rifle. I have semi auto hand guns, wheel guns, bolt action and semi auto rifles and shot guns. I’m an avid supporter of shooting safely, concealed carry (yes I am in 2 states) and teaching anyone the correct way to handle a weapon. No One I have ever met, has openly said anything negative towards me or my female partner. We are supporters of the 2nd amendment and we contribute to society, the knowledge and experience we were taught. We are people, just like the “anti gay” people are. We bleed, cry, laugh and are educated… just like most “anti gay” people are. Am I less of a person, than those that oppose my life style? I do carry concealed, because of people that threaten my freedom, my beliefs and my life… you don’t have to be anyone labeled as gay or not, to cause harm to another human being. Everyone has the right to defend themselves and their loved ones. You can even save a stranger on the street, who is in dire need of help because his or her life is being threatened. Do you stop and ask them if they are gay, or not? I don’t pick and choose who I would help during a life threatening situation, I would help and hopefully have made a new friend for life, whether they were straight, or not. If YOU were the victim, you being anti gay, would you be grateful that a gay man just saved your life? Or would you think less of him, just because you found out he was gay….
We are, many of “us”… responsible, safe and considerate gun owners. It does not matter who holds the gun, it matters that they just saved your life because they have it and know how to properly use it. Gun laws don’t segregate between gays and straights. We ALL have to know them and abide by them.
Dam Susan, that’s some bad luck in husband choice and a bunch of stuff you don’t have to prove to anyone.
No one I know cares if your a homosexual or the reasons why, cept maybe Sally Jessy Rafael
And I’m real glad you are all into firearms. Seriously glad.
The NRA is great! Please suport them and America.
But like I said sex has nothing to do with it.
Ease up and relax.
Normal people keep that stuff to themselves.
It’s private………( oh,I still want my word back ) LOL
I have no problem with homosexuals having 2A rights.
Who cares?
I do have a problem with them stealing the word “gay” which means happy or jubilant and has nothing to do with sex.
We didn’t “steal” the word Gay, we were labeled Gay by society, just as other peoples of the world are labeled. Besides, many words in the English language mean more than one thing. Read the dictionary before you make mindless statements that show your ignorance.
Hey Susan, don’t get all huffy.
Gay dose mean happy or jubilant, I did look it up.
Mellow out you man hater, I said I had no problem. But it looks like you do.
Your calling me mindless and ignorant was very mindless and ignorant.
That was good for a laugh though, thanks.
Thank you for the article, S.H., and thank you, Kevin, for your wisdom shown in your comment. It’s hard to tell sometimes whether the vocal haters are the minority or majority of fellow readers of the GunsAmerica blog. We fight to preserve our right to keep and bear arms because without it we would lack the strength to fight for our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I will take up arms to defend my fellow human beings from harm or oppression, and the issue of their race, gender, creed, or sexual orientation won’t cross my mind when it is time for me to act. Some of our fellow readers here would be the oppressors trying to force their viewpoints upon us and deprive us of the rights we struggle to maintain.
To jameson and those like you, you should pay more heed to the basis for Kevin’s comments on your use of scripture to justify imposition of your views on the rest of us. See Matthew 5:17-18: “Do not think that I come to abolish the Law or the Prophets: I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say unto you, that until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law until all is accomplished.” John 8:7: “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” I’d bet that like me, jameson appreciates his shrimp and bacon.
It is good to know that there are those like Chris Cheng and Kevin who will defend my rights even though I’m an Atheist.
I am an atheist. One of the reasons is that god people give me the creeps sometimes because they can come off as nutters. As evidence this is a second amendment story and the comments are about gay marriage. Nuts. Funny how the guy says he doesn’t meet rednecks when he goes out shooting. I guess they just hang out here online.
It is only logical that if you believe in freedom then freedom should extend from your gun safe, to your bedroom, to your refrigerator and to your medicine cabinet. Particularly, minorities that may face discrimination and even violent attack for being “different” are the ones MOST in need of an effective, legal and reliable means of self defense. It is imperative that the “Gun Culture” does not let themselves be characterized as the voice of red-neck white rural males. We are all in this together.To paraphrase Martin Luther-King “If anywhere, anyone does not have their freedom, then all of the rest of us are less free as well.”
-H-
I am a king James 1611 (real bible) Christian who is now seeing the words of my bible come to past just as was prophesied by John the Revelator. Gay marriage or being Gay period is an abomination in the eyes of the one and true God. As Christians we are supposed to love everyone just as Jesus Christ does. This is to be Christlike as the bible says. Jesus didn’t die on a cross so Christians could live like they want. He made the ultimate sacrifice for every man. Just as Slim said if we sin we are to repent and turn from our wicked ways. Homosexuality is a wicked way. This world will soon burn with a fervent heat just as Sodom and Gomorrah did. Which is why there has never been a more important time to be a gun owner and to push the importance of “Gun rights” not “Gay rights”. As for any Homosexual that may be reading this, I love you, but I urge you to please repent before it is too late. I love my guns, and I love my God, but it’s only by God’s grace that he hasn’t allowed our government to have taken our guns already. It is going to happen soon so you better have God on your side when it does.
i hope you do your best to not eat shellfish, or wear clothes of two different fabrics, because god also called that an abomination. if you are going to quote the passage in the bible about homosexuality being an abomination, and use say we must follow and accept that, i hope you also don’t ignore the rest of the passage where it commands you to stone anyone who commits that abomination to death. yet something tells me you aren’t really doing EVERYTHING your god tells you to do are you? it’s almost as if you are picking and choosing which passages, and even which PARTS of the SAME passage to follow, based on your own sense of what is right and wrong, not god’s. i hope you are also willing to stone to death anyone who is not a virgin on their wedding night, or anyone who works, or even does YARDWORK on the sabbath, and make sure if you beat any slaves you may have inherited with the rest of your parents property to the point of death, that you make sure it takes at least of couple of days for them to die. after all, god was very clear about those things, as it is our duty to do our best to follow all of god’s commandments.
No Steve, in fairness it says that you shall not, and the abomination language is said on male homosexuality. And it isn’t mixing fabrics, it is mixing wool and linen. And it isn’t just shellfish. It is anything that comes from the water that doesn’t have fins and scales.
Now, that said, violating the Sabbath is a death penalty offense, but like the above two rules, it is just for Jews. The rest of the nations of the world have 7 laws that they must follow, “for the sake of heaven.” The wikipedia page is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Laws_of_Noah
We all learned in history class that the Puritan Pilgrims came to the New World to escape religious persecution. No one says much about religious persecution itself, though.
King James had ordered the Scriptures translated into modern English – which is to say, into the version of English that was modern in the early 1600s. This upset a lot of traditionalists, and many churches refused to use it. King James responded by decreeing that the only translation of the Bible authorized for use throughout England was his – and any church that refused to do so would be shut down. The Puritans, their 1560 Geneva Bibles firmly in hand, fled.
So you could say that we owe our American Puritan ethic – not to mention my favorite secular holiday – to the Bible of King James. Even though it didn’t get here until years after the Pilgrims.
Kevin, you Sir are a God send.
quite frankly, I don’t know what I believe but I do know this, that religion has driven nearly every war in human history. Sorry I can’t give any links, this is just from what I this old mind can remember over the past 66 years, from the things I’ve read and seen.
Semper Fi
I’m an ordained minister. At the conclusion of every wedding ceremony I say: “By the power vested in me by the state of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Marriage, by law, is a civil contract administered and executed under the authority of the state. The couple must apply for and be granted a license to marry. Any church can choose not to countenance a particular union, a second marriage after divorce, for example, is not recognized by many traditional denominations – and the Catholic Church actively forbids it. If you do not want same-sex marriages in your church don’t have same-sex marriage in your church. That’s your right. Just as it’s the right of every other church – and every other individual – to follow his or her own convictions on the matter. But your rights do not include the right to deny other people the rights you enjoy.
(Note: NC currently forbids same-sex marriages. There’s no law saying I or any minister wanted to could not perform a wedding ceremony, but that’s all it would be: a ceremony. The couple would not be married under the law.)
Also, be careful of using Scripture to support your feelings on a topic. Because if you do, you must accept all Scripture as equally binding; you can’t pick or choose which verses you’ll honor or which you’ll ignore. The same book that condemns homosexuality, for example, also calls eating shrimp an abomination. And when it comes to politics, the Bible is a powder keg.
For example: What’s your stand on universal amnesty for all illegal aliens? Does it line up with Scripture?
Here’s one of many examples of how God commands us to treat them: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” [Lev. 19:34-NIV]
Anyone who bases their opposition to social safety nets on “he who doesn’t work doesn’t eat” will get buried by Scripture. There are over a hundred verses throughout the both Testaments commanding believers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and – while universal healthcare is not mentioned specifically – minister unconditionally to everyone as they have need. That verse applied to a specific group of people in a specific situation at a specific time. In the fourth chapter of Acts believers were selling their possessions and giving the money to the the elders to be distributed equally among everyone. In the fifth chapter Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead by God for withholding some of their money. Nobody that I know of is declaring God commands us all to be communists (though I’ll bet there’s someone out there doing just that). Those conditions applied to a specific group of people at a specific time.
Oh, and as for the topic of this thread: I have no problem with all American citizens, regardless of race, faith, sexual orientation, political party, astrological sign, or any other extraneous factoid, having the right to keep and bear arms. And, to paraphrase Lee Greenwood, I’ll proudly stand next to any American to defend our rights.
I’m going to have to correct you Kevin. You should know more about this stuff before you comment. The Catholic Church will try to innull your previous marriage in a lot of cases. They do discourage divorce but understand that you can stay married when the marriage becomes violent.
Admittedly, Ken, I left the Catholic Church not long after they quit using Latin (but not for that reason) – so things may have changed; or I may simply be wrong. But as I recall, when the Church annuls a marriage it declares officially that the marriage never happened. Annulments were never routine. Up until a couple of centuries ago proof that the couple had never had sex was a requirement. It’s not any more, but having a marriage annulled is still a complex process – deliberately so since the Church’s objective is to preserve the marriage. The Church forbids remarriage after divorce, but an annulled marriage was never valid – was not, in fact a marriage at all – and therefore the parties involved are free to enter into their first marriage with someone else. I believe simplifying this process, and how the Church deals with divorce and other modern societal issues, are things the Pope is addressing.
I LOOOVE the “I’m not anti-gay BUT” rhetoric …. blah blah blah – it would appear to me that the Democratic “machine” has simply used YET ANOTHER platform in their crusade to eliminate “conservatism” from the American way of life – I personally don’t like a drunk person shoving a drink in my face and urging me to take it – Am I “anti-alcohol” ?? HECK NO ! get my drift ? I’ll shoot, hunt, fish, work, drink,, party, vote, yada yada yada with ANYONE who is “cool” in all respects
i’m not sure what you’re implying. are you saying gay people are shoving their bodies/privates in your face and urging you to engage in homosexual behavior with them?
It sure seems like it when they prance around half naked in our streets during a parade. The streets are for everyone. That’s offensive to a lot of people. They also are effective adding a gay guy or woman to tv shows. They are only less than 10 percent of the population yet they are now in most shows. Interesting. We got it. Not interesting anymore. How about entertaining us instead of shoving it down our throats. Not literally.
I am not anti gay per say! I am however anti push your agenda down our throats and being forced to swallow the lies and weakening of our great country! What I mean is this, we were founded on the belief in one God and Christian principles. Our fore fathers did what they did to create this nation believing that everything they did, they would answer to a higher authority than their own. Even God fought wars for what was right and to bring about his purpose! All the liberalistic ideology has so weakened this great nation that even things such as gay being right and wrong is an issue, when it was 12-15 years ago, maybe more, it would never have been a discussion! It was wrong and in the closet because this country recognized the laws of God and Jesus. Today however the liberal view has permeated seemingly every aspect of life (that’s the plan) and only serves to weaken us further by dividing a once great nation to the point that even Christians are being assaulted in public as the police watch and do nothing but ask the Christians to leave! See Dearborn Michigan episode as an example! We the People need to unite or we will be divided permanently and the USA will be no more! It’s not a matter of if, but when! You don’t have to be a Christian to understand and believe in a principle of right and wrong in the religion, which is right for the unity of the whole, Christianity teaches love of all but follows God’s laws of right and wrong!! It’s that simple, but liberals want to muddy the waters to convince you otherwise! Even Our money says “In God We Trust”! Stop trusting in man’s view. History is full of those lessons, we need to remember them!
While I do agree with the single point that you made about a liberal view (in reality its a socialist/progressive view. Liberal and Conservative are misnomers ) destroying our country, you need to do more history homework when you state things like, “…we were founded on the belief in one God and Christian principles.”
The founding fathers, by and large, were deists. If you’re not sure what that is, you should look it up. There is nothing wrong with Christian morals, and I’m not saying that there is, but to say that our country was founded as a Christian country is just factually inaccurate. It was founded with the idea of religious freedom for all.
Before you say most of the founding fathers were deists you need to read up on your history. You will find a good many of them were mixed in their beliefs. As far as their beliefs about THE one and only God read some of their letters and comments. They will help you greatly to know the heart of the writer. There were no Mormons, Muslims, (in spite of what Obama lies about) Buddhists or any other of the eastern cults at that time. But after saying that, American is a country of liberty, freedom and choice. But be very careful how you chose. It is a matter of eternal life or death.
I like how you used “factually inaccurate” as a euphemism for “talking out your ass”.
The separation of church and state is one if our nation’s greatest strengths, and it rubs me raw when the fundies disrespect the wise men who laid the foundations of our system by claiming we’re a “Christian” nation.
The thing that makes so many modern Christians think the founding fathers were Christians is their frequent references to God. The truth is that they, like the majority of intellectuals and enlightened thinkers of the late eighteenth century, were deists. Deists believe in a creator God, one who built everything then sat back to see what we would do with it. So the God they spoke of was not the same God Christians follow.
Thomas Jefferson greatly admired the teachings of Jesus, but didn’t believe Jesus was the Christ – or that there was a Christ. He wrote The Jefferson Bible, which contains all of Jesus’s teachings on moral behavior but with all mention of God removed. He called the process “picking diamonds from the dung.”
When, in 1780, he wrote the words that circle the Jefferson Memorial – “I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” – the tyranny to which he was referring was the organized Christian church.
If there were any Christians in the Continental Congress, they kept their mouths shut. There is not a single jot or tittle of the Scriptures in the Constitution.
You can’t say you’re for limited government and turn around and say we need a government powerful enough to interfere with how people choose to organize their own households.
Marriage is a contract, and the government has no right to interfere.
This site needs a “like” button. You succinctly show the very heart of the issue.
I am a Christian. That said, I oppose gay “marriage” but not civil unions with 100% the same rights (and negatives). I believe that a “marriage” should occur in a church, and a civil union, gay or straight, is a licensure issue. If a church decides to allow gay marriage, I also believe in our Freedom of Religion and that is their right. I always accept people based on how they treat other people, not some label. Anyone who wants to go shooting with me, and even more so, anyone with access to a long range where I can shoot my 50 cal is okay by me, LGBT, straight, or even alien from another planet.
S.H. , I’m of the same opinion as you. Who gives a crap if someone is gay or not…. As long as they don’t try to force their life style choices on me, I wont push mine on them. As to the 2nd part, I think we all need to help the LGBT we know make an informed choice on gun ownership/use and ALL OF OUR RIGHTS to do so.
Whether or not someone was gay seemed a lot more important to me when I was in high school. Anymore I realize it’s just not worth worrying about.
My only problem is that they want to shove it down our throats. Literally. I say to each their own unless you throw it in my face and force me to think your way. It goes both ways. For instance, Marriage is between a man and a woman and who gave these people the right to change a definition that many hold so high. I don’t care what they do. Partner up with whoever you want to be don’t disrespect me and I won’t you. Can’t they call it Garriage and Larriage? Those are distictly different. So is Man and woman, man and man, woman and woman. Why should they have more rights than I should? Why do I have to be tolerant and they don’t. That’s my problem with all this garbage.
No one wants to “shove it down your throat”. Singly OR collectively. That’s not sex, it’s rape. Both REALLY and figuratively, and that also includes politically. Political discourses are called debates, and there is always room for a healthy debate. I don’t want to rape you into thinking “my way”. I don’t ever expect you to think “my way”. I just want from you the same thing that I already accede to you as your right: tolerate me and don’t just sit there condemning me. You can always criticize. Criticism is a healthy reaction. BUT CONDEMNATION IS NOT. That’s how we have bias attacks and hate crimes as they are now called. They used to just be called assaults and murders, But because these crimes are motivated by hatred for people as a class, we now have a whole new class of crimes: Hate Crimes. Condemnation strikes again! See how this works?
Please don’t condemn me. Join WITH me in supporting the Rights of We The People to Keep and Bear Arms. We The People are finally winning after all these many years of political struggle, but we can still lose, unless we all pull together. If we all stand together, we will win. Because if we don’t all stand together, we will all surely hang separately.
I am a Christian so going by Gods word the Bible he commands that we repent of our sins. God loves everybody that includes those practicing the sin of sodomy but he commands us to repent our sins. The only reason we as a nation are not destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah in the bible is because we are in the days of grace. Repent and believe the Gospel. BTW repent means turn from, change your mind about something.
I can understand your reasoning about “the sin of sodomy”. But given the fact that I DON’T LIKE GIRLS, just what do you expect me to do? Stay completely celibate, never even maing with a bottle of hand lotion and a hanky? GET REAL. We’ve been around a lot longer than most realize, and WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY. The REAL ISSUE is the Right To Keep And Bear ARMS. And to decide to NOT BE A VICTIM. So stay on POINT.