Local gay man suing D.C. for right to carry firearms
“I did not say anything witty or clever…. In the movies, they say something very clever. I just said, ‘If you come closer, I will kill you.’ Very blunt. And they stopped.”
Tom G. Palmer, a D.C. gay man who is suing the city for the right to carry firearms in public, recounting to the Washington Post the incident when he says carrying a gun saved his life. In 1982, Palmer and a colleague were pursued by young men who “perceived [us] as a couple of faggots” and threatened to kill the two men — Palmer pulled out his gun, which he did not fire. “It evened up the odds from a gang of young men who thought it would be really fun to beat to death two guys walking down the street,” Palmer says. Palmer, a fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute in the District, is among a number of plaintiffs in the lawsuit. (Washington Post)
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
