Summary
During a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) repeatedly shouted an anti-trans slur despite objections from Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly.
She defended her remarks by attacking transgender rights and dismissing criticism.
The outburst drew condemnation from LGBTQ+ advocates and political figures, highlighting her shift from previously supporting LGBTQ+ rights to embracing anti-trans rhetoric.
Mace has used the slur in past statements and introduced legislation restricting transgender rights.
I’d think it this way: Get the training anyway, hold off buying if that’s morally (and understandably so) difficult.
If shit hits the fan before you get one and/or it’s otherwise too late, there’ll be chances of obtaining one in the middle of the shitstorm one way or another. Maybe someone friendly has one, but never got around to proper training? Good thing you did. You can help out and try your best to utilise it as morally but also as professionally and efficiently as you can.
Slightly more long term, you can assist training others, if using one on live targets still feels objectionable (and rightly so!) to you.
Learning the craft and proper handling will not go to waste, if it starts looking even worse than it does now.
It can be good, too, to help others use the things more safely and otherwise properly. May save lives. And you need not take any, not in defense or otherwise, if that’s important to you.