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During the Civil Rights Era, passive resistance and non-violence were the 'weapons' of choice. Highly successful too.
Having said that, had I been a black man living in certain areas, I would have had the biggest shotgun possible at my side.
Most of your statement reads like it was written by some burly and bearded NRA member from Wyoming. I suspect there is more in common than you care to admit to yourself.
True. I'm an American. Of course I will admit to our commonalities.
I also agree with what you said about the civil rights movement...but certain people like Emmit Till's killers or the Birmingham Church bombers should've been hunted down and murdered.
If you're prepared to handle the truth on that issue, I'll tell it...but put on your seatbelt.
I understand the problem you have with what I said, but African Americans don't see the gun issue the way whites do. Black folks by and large have no interest in joining the gun rights community because they see it as a white man's entity. And all of this support of black gun ownership all of a sudden from white folks comes off as self serving (more gun owners translates into political power for people that don't care about the black community otherwise) than anything else.
Memories are long over here. Were whites pushing for more black gun ownership during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Era when southern rednecks were having their way with black folks? Because I sure as hell cannot remember that clarion call. Malcolm X talked about blacks forming gun clubs, and that went over like a lead balloon at the time.
Now personally, I think black folks should purchase legal weapons and register them. But old habits die hard. Blacks don't trust law enforcement, and they definitely don't trust the gun ownership community (like the NRA) who generally backs law enforcement no matter what...and is filled with people that are hostile to other issues that African Americans feel are important. They mock social justice issues, education issues, economic issues and just about anything else that blacks hold dear.
Of course it would benefit the gun rights community if blacks would join hands with them. But that's just not gonna happen if that's the only issue there can be a common bond on. African Americans simply don't trust those people. And the reasons as I've stated them, are valid.
To the second bolded point; I'll admit I don't know. I wasn't around for that time period, but I'd suspect there were more than a few whites that would have done everything they could NOT to let blacks have guns. (I think much of the push for gun control today comes from people nervous about minorities having guns, they just can't come out and say as much.) I do remember Reagan signing the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, and understand that his concern was in large part due to the Black Panthers carrying guns (though the actual instances of that were also too early for me).
As for the 'all of a sudden' part, it doesn't seem all that sudden to me, but maybe that's because for the last few years that I've been involved with gun rights, I've met gun owners who aren't only white men. The gun forum I belong to has members who are Black and Hispanic; possibly others, though not everyone shares personal information and I've only met about two dozen members in person. There are also people from all walks of life; we're teachers, plumbers, lawyers, micro-biologists, dive instructors, stay-at-home moms, IT people... it's a pretty inclusive group.
As to the last part, you should see some of the very heated arguments about law enforcement on the forum I mentioned above. The NRA might back LEO's, but not every gun owner shares their views. In all honesty, there are a couple of cops who have stopped posting because most of us don't feel like being a cop should give you carte blanch, nor do we think that cops should get special privileges when it comes to ownership.
I understand where you're coming from. I still think much has changed, though, and hopefully that's becoming apparent to potential gun owners.
To the second bolded point; I'll admit I don't know. I wasn't around for that time period, but I'd suspect there were more than a few whites that would have done everything they could NOT to let blacks have guns. (I think much of the push for gun control today comes from people nervous about minorities having guns, they just can't come out and say as much.) I do remember Reagan signing the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, and understand that his concern was in large part due to the Black Panthers carrying guns (though the actual instances of that were also too early for me).
As for the 'all of a sudden' part, it doesn't seem all that sudden to me, but maybe that's because for the last few years that I've been involved with gun rights, I've met gun owners who aren't only white men. The gun forum I belong to has members who are Black and Hispanic; possibly others, though not everyone shares personal information and I've only met about two dozen members in person. There are also people from all walks of life; we're teachers, plumbers, lawyers, micro-biologists, dive instructors, stay-at-home moms, IT people... it's a pretty inclusive group.
As to the last part, you should see some of the very heated arguments about law enforcement on the forum I mentioned above. The NRA might back LEO's, but not every gun owner shares their views. In all honesty, there are a couple of cops who have stopped posting because most of us don't feel like being a cop should give you carte blanch, nor do we think that cops should get special privileges when it comes to ownership.
I understand where you're coming from. I still think much has changed, though, and hopefully that's becoming apparent to potential gun owners.
Besides, how do you know what blacks are and aren't legally armed?
BTW...thanks for being all for it. We were waiting for that approval from you.
SMH.."and I'm for it." *SIGH*
Statistically speaking blacks make up most of the illegal weapons charges and statistically speaking black lean democratic which again, statistically speaking democrats don't own firearms.
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