Fox News host Jesse Watters has questioned why more LGBTQ+ Americans appear to be joining gun associations.

Despite being in favour of the Second Amendment, which gives Americans the right to bear arms, Watters said on his show on Tuesday (7 January) that he wasn’t happy about “hard-left, gay activists” purchasing firearms.

His comments come after an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer alleged that membership in queer and leftist gun clubs had risen since Donald Trump won the presidential election.

There has been a surge in membership of groups such as the Socialist Rifle Association, a leftist alternative to the conservative National Rifle Association, as well as Pink Pistols, an LGBTQ+ gun association with the slogan “Armed Gays Don’t Get Bashed.”

But Watters said LGBTQ+ Americans shouldn’t be buying rifles over perceived threats to their safety.

“The liberal fringe is convinced that Trump is out to get them. So, hard-left gay activists are strapping up and embracing the amendment liberals love to hate,” he said.

“They’re joining groups like the Socialist Rifle Association and Pink Pistols, which have seen a surge of membership. Why? Many think that a gun is the only thing standing in the way between them and concentration camps.”

It is also not explicitly clear whether gun ownership among LGBTQ+ Americans has risen, and Watters’ objection appears to contradict his beliefs on the Second Amendment. The right-wing host has often promoted the right to bear arms, famously telling Piers Morgan, in a discussion about gun safety in 2023, that “forks don’t make you fat”.

Trans gun owner Madeline Shearman told The Philadelphia Inquirer: “There’s definitely a feeling among a lot of LGBT individuals: ‘If I can’t protect myself, who will?”‘

Referencing the article, Watters added: “Primetime thinks that’s a great idea. Everyone should exercise their Second Amendment right – we just wish they weren’t so nuts.”

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