You know, it’s just day to day

Why Black People Own Guns

canada goose Before the Revolutionary War,colonial Virginia passed a law barring black people from owning firearms an exercise in gun control as racial control. In 1857, in his notorious Dred Scott decision, Chief Justice Roger Taney summoned the cheap Canada Goose specter of black people freely enjoying the right to “keep and carry arms wherever they went.” Surely, he argued, the founders were not “so forgetful or regardless of their own safety” to permit such a thing. When black people armed themselves against white supremacist attacks following the Civil War, Southern state governments passed “black codes” barring them from owning guns. After the Black Panthers open carried to signal to California police officers that they would defend themselves against racial attacks in the late ’60s, then Gov. Ronald Reagan signed a state ban on open carry into law. canada goose

In 2016, legal gun owner Philando Castile was shot after informing a Minnesota police officer that he was armed. Two years prior, Tamir Rice was killed by Cleveland police while holding a toy gun. John Crawford suffered the same fate in a Beavercreek, Ohio, Walmart.

So what does black gun ownership mean in a country so determined to keep its black Canada Goose sale populace unarmed? Since the 2016 election, interest in firearms has supposedlyticked upward in the black community. Gun shops and clubs link the interest to a desire for self protection against the white supremacists emboldened by President Donald Trump’s election.

HuffPost spoke to 11 black gun owners about their reasons for owning a firearm. Trump was a non factor. Canada Goose online Instead, they talked about wanting to protect themselves out of fear that no one else would. They talked about their anxieties during interactions with the police and their complex views on gun regulation. Where gun advocates often adduce the imaginary heroics of a hypothetical active shooter scenario to their arguments, the black gun owners we talked to referred to specific incidents, specific provocations as if redlined, too, out of the fantasyland of American gun canada goose black friday sale culture. And most of them canada goose outlet returned to a sentiment as old as the nation itself: that owning firearms is a rebellion against a system bent on keeping them out of the hands of black folks.

The interviews have been condensed and edited for length and clarity. student at Oklahoma State, is writing a book called Let It Bang about his experiences Canada Goose Parka as a black gun owner. He owns a Glock 17 9 mm and a Glock 26, which is his concealed carry weapon.

buy canada goose jacket cheap The first gun I ever touched was placed in my hand by my ex father in law as a gesture of goodwill and good faith. He’s an old white man, and I was, at the time, dating canada goose his daughter. When he handed me this thing which I would come to find out was a Taurus judge, or a revolver you can cross load with shotgun shells I was very scared to touch and hold it. It looked enormous, kind of like a Flaming Scimitar. buy canada goose jacket cheap

cheap canada goose uk He was smiling about it. I thought that canada goose store this was really weird at the time, like a scary “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” And I found out later from my girlfriend, who’d eventually become my wife, that this was him saying: “Hi, I’m Charles. I’m a nice guy.” cheap canada goose uk

He had guns around the house, and it wasn’t a big deal. There was another shotgun leaned up against the door. I asked him about the gun in his little fanny pack he carried around, and he went on for about an hour about this pistol. And I figured that was my in. So over a few years I got to know him through guns, and I got pretty good with them. I got a concealed carry license, and canada goose clearance I ended up trying to figure out what it meant for me to have a gun as a black man. I slowly learned that we weren’t always allowed to have firearms. They were kept from us for a number of different reasons, but not the least of which is white folks feared violence from black people in particular black men. And I had this question in my head about whether or not I was safer if I had a gun knowing what had happened to Canada Goose Outlet Trayvon Martin and Walter Scott.

In the course of becoming an expert with a pistol, so much so the NRA certified me as a pistol instructor, I’ve come to find out that I’m not safer. In fact, I’m probably more likely to have harm done to me if I have a firearm on me because a cop stopping me is not the same as a cop stopping a white person. And I have a duty to inform any officer who stops me that I am carrying and that I have a permit for it. But how they react to that, I can’t say. And that scares me. So I would rather not have a firearm on me and give someone a reason, even in their minds, to shoot.

Canada Goose sale I believe in the right to carry a gun, so I own them, and they stay locked up. The ammunition stays in one room, and the firearm stays in the other. I go shoot from time to time to keep my skills and to keep my credentials, but I don’t carry one in public. For them to be for buy canada goose jacket cheap protection, they would have to be loaded. Even if I wanted to go get them from a closet, I don’t keep them loaded. I keep the slide lock open and a key lock through them. They’re paperweights in my house. If somebody broke into my place, either I’m going to let them do what they need to do and leave or I’m going to try to handle it with my hands. Canada Goose sale

But if they shoot me or I shoot canadian goose jacket them, then nothing gets resolved. I’m just a cowboy who shot an outlaw. If that person is subdued or if Canada Goose Jackets I knock that person unconscious with one of the candle holders I keep around, and then that person is handcuffed and we go through this system of justice that we put into place;I feel much better about that. I don’t believe breaking into my house means that you need to die.

If I looked like Thor, I’d probably feel better about carrying a gun because the stigma is I mean, I’m not just a black man. I’m a fit black man with, you know, 15 tattoos, sponge brush hair and beard, and Malcolm X glasses, and I wear Jordans all the time.

Canada Goose Jackets If I could walk around Oklahoma and not count how many black folks were in the room, I’d probably feel better about firearms as a black man. I’d probably feel safer walking around canada goose coats on sale with one. But the fact is, most people have a narrow view of who I am. student!” People have to take me as what they see, and they will immediately form an opinion about me. And most people who are white will have a bad opinion of me. That’s how I think this fits into my blackness. I can’t view myself as just a gun owner. I have to view myself as a black gun owner. Canada Goose Jackets

canada goose factory sale I’ve lived in the inner city for years, and I’ve been a gun owner for over five years now. I don’t see anything wrong with it, to be honest. I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Sometimes I think we have post traumatic stress. But we don’t know about these conditions that we live in. We just think this is the norm, and the norm is, you have to protect yourself before anyone else tries to harm you or rob you. You have that preconceived notion. You may not see it, but you’re living there. You know what goes on. You just have to protect yourself, pretty much, because everyone else probably has a gun. canada goose factory sale

My father was a gun collector, so he had Smith Wessons. I was about 7 years old, and I had a stepfather who always had a gun in the home. And we knew not to touch it growing up. I got a little bit older, and my older brother had guns for protection because he was living not such a good life. Eventually, he ended up getting murdered in an act of gun violence. He was shot over 17 times.

If I’m going out any day or at night, I always carry it. If I’m coming in my house, I always have it out ready to walk into my home. You know, it’s just day to day.

uk canada goose I feel as though I’m more vulnerable than others. I’m an easy target. I feel like a lot of things do happen to females. I live alone so it’s just yeah, I’m an easy target, really. People watch you come and go, you know what I mean? And even though I’m 5’11”, that doesn’t mean anything. If people wanna target you, they’re going to watch your activities, who’s coming in and out of your home. Anybody could follow you. When you live in certain environments, you’re preconditioned to paranoia. It’s behaviors you don’t even know really exist. Even if I’m in a good neighborhood, I still have some of the same worries, though I’m probably not as alert as I am in other areas. For the most part, I’m watching my surroundings all the time. uk canada goose

canada goose uk outlet I do feel safer with a firearm even though I’m still nervous, I’m scared, I’m afraid. When I am protected, and my gun is unlocked and loaded, I feel as though I have a chance. It’s either gonna be me or you and I can’t be afraid of whatever happens at that point. canada goose uk outlet

canada goose uk black friday Even though I’m a gun holder and I’m licensed to carry, being stopped by the police still worries me. It’s gotten to the point where I kind of don’t want to carry because it makes me more uneasy to drive while having my gun in my vehicle. For a while, I didn’t even carry it while driving whether I was out at a nightclub or whether I had a date. I didn’t even bother. I’d just take the chance because I was that afraid of the police. canada goose uk black friday

My earliest experience with guns was growing up as a kid on a military base. You’d see people marching around the base with their M 16s, with the little orange or red plastic card in the tips. Both of my parents are in the military, so I saw weapons at home as well. My mom had a pink pistol as her side arm. Growing up with friends who wanted to hunt, we’d go out every now and then and do some shooting at the range or in the woods.

Canada Goose Parka I was around 16 when I first shot a gun. I was at my buddy’s house and we’d gone out to his family’s ranch. They had shooting traps set up at 100 yards, 200 yards, 300 yards, and we’d put out pumpkins and watermelons and shoot them. This is how I found out that I like to shoot. Canada Goose Parka

There are people who don’t have the right mindset to have handguns, people who aren’t responsible with guns. Those people shouldn’t have them. But, yes, I feel safer with a firearm. And changing the laws of what firearms you can carry isn’t going to change the mind of someone who wants to do something illegal. I’m a guy who likes to do things by the book, and I want to be able to protect myself against people who don’t.

canada goose coats I open carry but I don’t do it often. Being pulled over by the police is canada goose deals always a sticky situation in general. So when you’ve got a weapon with you, you’ve got to be prepared buy canada goose jacket and extremely careful. You’re certainly more nervous. I haven’t been pulled over while I was carrying, but if I was, I would be http://www.canadagoosecanadaoutlet.com extremely attentive. I’d have my hands on the wheel. I’d tell the officer I am carrying. canada goose coats

canada goose clearance sale My grandfather was my first experience with guns. I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I grew up seeing him with rifles. They were just a part of life. They weren’t anything abnormal to me. I remember being in the country you can’t do this in the city limits and on New Year’s Eve, he would go out at midnight and shoot the gun off. And that was the highlight of New Year’s for me, seeing him go out and shoot his gun. I was in elementary school, and it was so cool. It stuck with me so much. And I never got that misconstrued. I didn’t think that guns were “so cool,” but this one act was just neat for me. It’s a regional, Southern, old way of life I mean, I hope people still don’t shoot into the air on New Year’s. Looking back on it, that was dumb. canada goose clearance sale

canada goose coats on sale I purchased my first firearm in North Carolina, around 2005. I was about 26 or 27. It was a small.25 handgun that could fit in my purse. That.25 ended up being stolen, and I didn’t get another one for a while after that. But I would still go to the range every Friday. Friday was like date night at the range. The initial plan was for me to have a concealed carry permit, so I wanted something that was small that I could stick in my purse or keep in my glove compartment. Something that was easily accessible in the event that I needed it. canada goose coats on sale

canada goose store I moved shortly after the Philando Castile incident. Do I feel safer? It’s a mental thing. In my head I feel like I’m safer. But honestly, no, I know I’m not any safer. I keep my gun locked up. Getting to it is not going to be as easy as one would think. It’s not on my hip. This isn’t the movies. I don’t have it just ready to go. As far as driving around with it, I keep it locked up in my trunk. And the key is not usually with me. canada goose store

Canada Goose online I’m not as fearful as some of the recent shootings and incidents should make me feel. I’m not too terrified, and if I got pulled over, I wouldn’t even let them know I had a firearm since the gun would likely be in my trunk. I wouldn’t have access to it like I would if it were in the car beside me Canada Goose online.