A national group with local ties is taking steps to arm the LGBT community - and it has seen a spike in membership since the attack in Orlando that killed 49 and injured many more.
ATLANTA -- Atlanta’s gay community continues to grieve and to worry but some are doing much more than that - they’re taking steps to protect themselves.
Valerie Hoff was in Buckhead, where an organization called Pink Pistols is seeing a surge in membership.
Pink Pistols is a national organization that promotes legal and safe gun ownership among the LGBT community but it’s open to all. And this week, the 45 chapters nationwide are growing exponentially.
Dylan West and Chris Willis spent their lunch break on target practice at the Quickshot Shooting Range in Buckhead.
Both are members of the Pink Pistols Atlanta Facebook group.
The group is international and focuses on self defense in the LGBT community.
There are plenty of straight members as well - people who support the right to own a weapon and to use it if necessary.
"So, I'm a Libertarian - we're all about freedom," Willis said. "We want freedom for everyone and so seeing a group like the Pink Pistols, it embodies that Libertarian idea more than anything."
The Atlanta Pink Pistols Facebook page has 122 members - nearly half of them joined after Sunday's attack in Orlando.
"This group of people were targeted because of their sexuality - because they were members of the LGBT community," West said. "And I think that's the driving factor."
And it's because of this, that many are wanting to find new ways to protect themselves.
"I've had lots of friends reach out to me and ask if I could help them learn how to shoot and to learn the safety mechanisms," West said. "How to get started."
Owner Tyler Perkins said he welcomes Pink Pistol members and just about anyone to the range to practice in a safe environment - and prepare for a world that can be anything but safe.
