Mr. Harrison from near Witchita, KS wrote in to us:
I am a young black male, 31-years-old, college educated and married with one child. I am a member of the NRA since buying my first handgun in 2004. Since then I had let it lapse but continued involvement in shooting sports and now own many firearms including scary black and combloc rifles.
After the push for gun control started again a few tears ago I renewed membership and even joined and gave money to SAFI am a member of two local ranges and take new shooters all the time. Believe it or not, the misinformation on guns and gun rights in the black community is high.
But because I did not fit the gang-banger stereotype black people put on black gun owners, they were interested in knowing why and how I got into guns. When the they actually go to the range try admit they wanted a weapon because a personal experience (they have been robbed, increase in local crimes, reduced response by police etc.)
These people are often African-American professionals (doctors, business owners, lawyers, engineers, etc ) but they are in the 40-60year old black demographic that blindly supported democratic/liberal ideas even if they did not truly believe in them.
Once they are in a comfortable environment with people the trust (I know many of the personally) they enjoy shooting and learning about gun safety and rights and before you know it they purchase a gun or 2 for them and a spouse, and join the range as well. Our local range has grown from less than a dozen African-American members to over 70 in one year alone (total membership of about 500). That is amazing and proves gun rights are supported across parties and races.
Most interesting is the young urban shooters club that has grown into a networking group for younger gun owners who often are business professionals themselves.
Support your local gun store and gun range and remember to be accepting of new shooters the demographics of this country are changing and our sport shooting community is becoming more diverse.
Maybe we will see that in the next 10 years the leader of the NRA may be an man or woman of color and/or of youth. God bless America and if you have not…
I inherited my first handgun 9 years ago. Never shot it until a neighbor got me interested. My wife and I now own 4 handguns and practice 5 or 6 times a year. I’m in my middle 50’s and sorry I waited so long.
They had 72 people show up at Foosland Sportsmen’s Club for range safety training last Saturday. That is huge! There is sometime amazing going on here. People who have never shot before are learning how. All the propaganda and misinformation put out by the gun grabbers to malign firearm ownership and the Second Ammendment is having the exact opposite effect – it is creating millions of new gun owners. Maybe Rahm, et al secretly own Smith & Wesson Stock?