The Racist Roots of Gun Control
Measures restricting gun ownership still disproportionately harm black and brown people, says Maj Toure, founder of "Black Guns Matter."
Media scream, "Too many people have guns!"
Second Amendment activist Maj Toure says more people should carry guns.
"Everybody should be walking around," he says in my new video, "like, 'Oh man, I left my gun in the house. Let me go back and get it.' It should be as normal as a cellphone."
Activists and some politicians want gun control.
Toure says, "All gun control is racist!"
All?
"It was literally started to stop black people from having the means to defend themselves."
He's right. In the 1600s, American colonies had rules against blacks owning guns.
"It's a good thing we don't like being told what human rights we have," says Toure. "I'm an American. I go by the Constitution."
Few Americans know that anti-slavery hero Harriet Tubman carried a gun most of the time.
"She needed to," says Toure. "If it wasn't for strong women like Harriet Tubman, liberty-minded people saying, nah, [slavery] is not cool, not OK, a contradiction of the Founding Fathers, what they wrote down [not what they all did, but what they wrote down]. She wouldn't have had the bravery to oppose that during a time when opposition meant death. More people should think about that right."
What about today? I ask, "Is gun control still racist?"
"Absolutely!" he says. "Look at the outcome. Take California…[you have to get] a state-issued license to carry. If you live in Oakland, Compton, in Los Angeles County, the chances of you getting a license, even though the Second Amendment is clear, it's very little. But if you live in Brentwood, Orange County, Beverly Hills, the issue rate for that license to carry goes up. Which one of those areas is more predominantly black and brown people?"
Similarly, "Who's arrested more for firearms possession? Black and brown folks…the outcome being this group of people being disproportionately impacted by the racist practice of gun control."
That's why he started "Black Guns Matter," to encourage responsible gun ownership in black and brown communities. His group runs firearms training classes.
"The narrative that anyone with a firearm is a bad guy is pervasive. Especially if you are in an urban environment and if you happen to be black….White folks don't [have] to articulate their position in the same way….Black Guns Matter speaks to the problem.
"We saw that you guys are lying to the people. You're telling this group of people, no, that's not for you. Nowhere in the Second Amendment does it say anything about race. Government does not grant or take away these rights. So, for me it was more about informing. Black Guns Matter is about education. When you see that your people [have] been lied to, you [are] a sucker if you don't inform them."
A recent Pew study found roughly 24 percent of African Americans own guns now.
Toure says that's not enough, "Every American should be exercising their human right to self-defense….If the trend, which is true, continues, that there are more firearms owners, safe and responsible firearms owners, that means less crime. I absolutely want more people to have firearms…catchphrases like: 'An armed society is a polite society.' Absolutely….We need to give all Americans that level of empowerment. And with that empowerment comes responsibilities. That's why we present [Black Guns Matter] classes for everyone for free. We go over grip stance, side alignment, sight picture, general nomenclature…safety."
"Should there be any rules?" I ask. "Should untrained people have to take a class?"
"No," he says. "I don't rely on the state to determine what's safe. Most law enforcement officers don't train. These are rights. The Bill of Rights are rights granted by your creator, not granted by government….A part of this culture is being safe and responsible and getting training. We can do that….So, no, the state is not in control of that. We are, 'we the people.'"
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