Rights are not privileges.
This last week has been a difficult one for those of us at Arm the Dolls, a difficult week for our community, a difficult week for people with empathy, and a difficult week for those who take up the mantle of protector. Most importantly perhaps, it’s been a difficult week for Americans.
The murder of Alex Pretti weighs on us. An ICU nurse who cared for the sick and the dying, Alex was used to the role of protector. It came naturally to him, and within that role he flourished. He protected veterans from disease and injury, and when he saw injustice against his neighbors, he moved to protect them against that, too.
They shot him in the back for it.
We exercise our right to self-protection not because it is granted but because it is inherent. We protect our community not because we have chosen this role, but because it is inseparable from who we are. This situation has been forced upon us. We did not invite it. We did not choose it. Threats do not announce themselves politely.
Alex Pretti understood this threat and rose to meet it. His example shines bright, his bravery a beacon.
We have all felt this injustice keenly, and the facts that have come out in the days since have not alleviated its intensity. Alex Pretti was a responsible gun owner, exercising his rights legally, and those who besiege our communities have tried to paint that exercise of his rights as a threat. They have dug in for post-hoc justifications. They have to, because ultimately they believe he was the enemy and they do not believe their enemies deserve rights.
Too many within the second amendment community have laid bare what many of us already knew or suspected – that their commitment to these inherent rights was only ever shallow, and only ever meant for themselves. Now that the time has come to stand with all who would be free, they have deferred to the very authorities they built their careers distrusting.
We must be unequivocal. The right to self defense is innate. Rights are not privileges.
These last few days have proved the necessity of this project. Injustice and cowardice show their hands, and we learn. The trans community cannot depend on others to protect our rights. While we welcome their action when they take it, we cannot and will not count on it.
We keep us safe. Trans rights are human rights. Rights are not privileges.
New guides
Our frustrations and our anxieties required an outlet, and so we poured them into the work we do best here at Arm the Dolls. Two new guides have been launched in response to the actions of the last month and overwhelming community demand.
Minnesota and Tennessee guides are now live!
This marks quite the milestone – with a total of 11 guides, we have over half of the estimated trans population in the US covered.
What you can do to help
Spread the word. Share this post and our resources with members of our community who might find it useful. That’s genuinely the most helpful thing right now. In order for a community resource like this to be valuable, that community has to know of its existence. For this project to succeed, we need your help getting the word out.
Have professional expertise? If you’re familiar with your state’s gun laws, especially if you’re a lawyer, dealer, gunsmith, or firearms instructor, we want your help to make sure we get your state and all of our guidance right. Get in touch. Your input is extremely valuable to us.
Want to contribute? As we’ve mentioned before, this website represents a significant and continual time investment from a team of people. Contributions are very much appreciated but not expected. Please check out our support section for fun merch and other ways to help out financially.