Instructors
We Teach All Faiths
The primary mission of Operation Blazing Sword began, and remains, a way to help queer people who are interested in active self-defense learn the basics of firearm safety and operation in a safe and welcoming environment.
However, with the recent targeting of religious gatherings and practitioners across the country, it is important to remind our friends, followers and members that this offer is not exclusive to queer people and is extended to people of all faiths, regardless of their race, sex or sexual orientation.
History
Operation Blazing Sword was founded by Erin Palette the Monday after the terrorist attacks at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. By August 2016 it was a registered nonprofit with the state of Florida, and in November 2016 it was granted 501c3 tax-deductible charity status by the IRS.
By December 2017 Operation Blazing Sword had over 1500 volunteer instructors in nearly a thousand locations across all 50 states, as well as trainers in Canada, Australia, and Europe. These volunteers teach, on average, one person a week the basics of firearm safety and operation. Many of our students go on to purchase firearms, acquire concealed carry permits, and become volunteers themselves.
Why We Believe that Gun Rights are Queer Rights
· You have the right to live.
· There are people who wish to harm you because you are queer.
· Guns allow you to defend your queer life.
∴ Therefore, guns preserve queer lives.
· Guns cannot preserve queer lives if queer people cannot carry them.
· Gun rights means that all non-prohibited people can carry guns.
· By carrying a gun, you can defend your queer life.
∴ Therefore, gun rights are pro-queer.
· Gun rights are natural rights.
· Loving whomever you want is a human right.
· Living as you wish, so long as it harms none, is also a human right.
∴ Therefore, gun rights are queer rights and both are human rights.
800 Belle Terre Parkway, Suite 200-302 Palm Coast, FL 32164-2310