New Gun Owner Group

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From the article, "Black folks and guns usually get a negative stereotype reaction like: 'What is that guy doing with a gun?' " says Philip Smith, the president and founder of the group." Now, imagine if someone started a new "gun group" called the "National European American Gun Association". Would that be reinforcing a negative or a positive stereotype? Why must people continue to divide each other by "race", (whatever that is)?
 
Why does it have to be black or white ? Just gun owners ; )

There is great value in breaking the Anti stereotype of pro 2A gun owners as a bunch of "old white redneck men".

Support the Pink Pistols. Support NAAGA. Support women's 2A groups. Do this and break the Anti stereotypes that paint us as a bunch of "old white red necks".

This forum is called Activism and breaking Anti stereotypes of gunowners is an important form of Activism. Supporting groups that break those stereotypes and do so in the press AND get generally positive press doing so is very valuable to the 2A.

If you can't see the importance of breaking stereotypes of gunowners we've lost the culture struggle.
 
If you can't see the importance of breaking stereotypes of gunowners we've lost the culture struggle.
No one on this thread so far has questioned the importance of breaking stereotypes. What we have questioned is the long term wisdom of segregating gun owners into different advocacy organizations based on their skin color.
 
No one on this thread so far has questioned the importance of breaking stereotypes. What we have questioned is the long term wisdom of segregating gun owners into different advocacy organizations based on their skin color.
But gun culture is already largely segregated, especially in the eyes of the general public. By publicly encouraging non-whites to become more involved in the gun culture, we’re trying to counteract that segregation.

I look forward to the day when groups like this that target specific minority demographics aren’t needed, but we’re not there yet.
 
But gun culture is already largely segregated, especially in the eyes of the general public. By publicly encouraging non-whites to become more involved in the gun culture, we’re trying to counteract that segregation.

I look forward to the day when groups like this that target specific minority demographics aren’t needed, but we’re not there yet.
I don't see how naming an organization after the continental origin of some of the ancestors of it's target members is going to help, long term, with desegregation. Would the goal then be for skin color segregated organizations like this to shut down at some point, once we've reached some mystical level of unity? How does separating people into different groups based on the color of their skin help to bring them together in a common goal?

I understand the sentiment behind this and I certainly agree that gun owners in general are predominantly of European ancestry. There's no question about that. I also agree that the media has, in many cases, worked hard to portray gun rights advocates as racially biased. That sort of misinformation is quite a bit easier to spread when there are often very small numbers of people with darker skin tones present where gun people gather. Here's the kicker though, if the folks with darker skin tones decide that they are going to have "their own" gatherings, separate from the folks with lighter skin tones, that does not diminish the impression that gun people, of all skin tones, are racially biased, it actually makes that impression worse in the eyes of the general public.
 
the impression that gun people, of all skin tones, are racially biased,

The sticking point is that the Antis use racism in very specific ways against gun owners to paint the impression that only racist rednecks are interested in guns vs. gun owners segregate themselves because the groups are racist.
 
The sticking point is that the Antis use racism in very specific ways against gun owners to paint the impression that only racist rednecks are interested in guns vs. gun owners segregate themselves because the groups are racist.
But again I'll ask, how does separating gun owners based on skin color change that? That still contributes to the impression that gun owners are "racist". I suppose it depends on the goal. If the goal is purely to give the impression that people of African descent are interested in guns, then sure, having segregated organizations might help. If the goal is to unify "gun people", then it seems like segregation is a lot less helpful.
 
A story related to me by a co-worker of African ancestry. Apparently he felt very uncomfortable "Around a bunch of armed white folks". Too bad for him, I would bet no one at the range was paying much attention to him as long as he was practicing safe firearms handling.
 
bearcreek,

I do get your point about the greater good in being blind to gender, race, creed, color, but people like groups that cater to "them". How those folks define "them" to identify with varies. I've had realtors ask me to train them. I've women specifically ask me to train a group of women. I've had LGBTQ folks ask me to train groups of their friends. I'm eager to do it, but individuals aren't as visible as groups and I very much want groups of people to share the experience and support the individual members of the group in getting behind the 2A and breaking the stereotype of 2A supporters. One day I hope that there will be enough different groups of shooters that they'll just be one big group of 2A supporters. I've always wanted to be a good ambassador for 2A and shooting and wanted to help break stereotypes, our own and those Antis toss at us to open people to the idea that we're basically good people you'd want as neighbors and not the lunatics we're painted. Groups just have more visibility than individuals.

having segregated organizations

While it probably is a minor point, the NPR report pointed out that the interviewed group in Atlanta wasn't exclusively African American and that one of the people interviewed was of European ancestry. The fact that you can form a group like NAAGA or the Pink Pistols and have people join is a clear indicator that at least to the members that there is a place for them and the group has a role in their lives.
 
Back in the day I was president of a 500 member politically active gun club. It was the Clinton years and we busted our behinds to get as many firearms owning folks as we could to be involved.

Naturally we had lots of white men involved. Most of the club, in fact. White females were fewer, but we had some. I could count on one hand the number of black males who participated with us with fingers left over. Nevertheless, they tried hard to bring in more and we supported them in that. Pretty much resulted in zilch. Black females? Zip. Other races and ethnicities? Some, all combined, but never as many as we would have liked considering we have a major university in our area and a large state college. We were never even remotely close to resembling the racial/ethnic diversity of our area no matter how hard we tried.

So, if the National African-American Gun Association wants to join then cause I'm all for them. Same for the Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, the Pink Pistols, or whomever.

I don't care how they want to define themselves so long as we are all working towards the common cause of preserving the firearms rights of all American citizens. Welcome to the cause!
 
You may cross participation in clubs with income and neighborhood. Many folks may not have the disposable income for intensive gun participation. Also, where folks live may not be conducive to participation. Such factors may be as potent as any. Our group does have a fair amount of Hispanic participation and some African-American. Few women - most are dragged out their by their boy friend, it seems. We do have some dedicated female shooters. In the former case, the boy friend postures, looks stupid compared to the regular crowd and they don't come back.

I support all efforts to be welcoming and folks who want a group that they are comfortable with and speaks to their particular concerns is a good thing.
 
Speaking as someone who grew up totally outside the gun culture (I had never even shot a water pistol!) and didn't decide to learn to shoot until after age 65, I can contribute that I might not have had the nerve to go to that first class if it had not been organized under the auspices of my own background, even though intellectually I was 100% of the opinion that learning how to shoot was really important.

Subsequently I took a membership at a somewhat nearby range where most of the staff and most of the shooters were Hispanic, which I am not. That was a factor of the neighborhood where the range was located. Having worked many years in a Hispanic company this was quite comfortable for me.

Where I live now (having thankfully escaped Cali to AZ), two of the three nearby ranges have "Ladies' Day" two days a week (not the same two days as each other) where women get to shoot for free. The one I went to yesterday additionally gives a man accompanying a woman a discount on Ladies' Day, with the result that as it became evening and was filling up, the mix was about 50/50. This creates a very nice family-ish feeling. This one also has a sort of club for women which meets once a month for a very nominal fee ($60 a year) for women to broaden their shooting horizons, the writeup mentions not only shooting 1911's and AR-15's, but also learning how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble them, I'm planning to try it this month.

I guess my point is that a new shooter is likely a bit nervous in the first place, so being able to at least start in an environment of folks of similar background makes things more comfortable.
 
It's their RIGHT to form a group, with ANY perameters, on ANY subject, including coffee cup collectors assoc. (hehe)

I am GLAD they chose firearms/Pro- 2A:thumbup: , an armed society is a POLITE society. We can all benefit from a polite society.

Anything that further 2A sentiments, pistol shooting, rifle, shotgun, collectors, speculators, NFA items, primitive muzzleloader, airguns, even 2Aartists is what I say.

I am in the same boat with my fellow Americans, rowing the boat of Freedom towards a bright future; we cannot squabble over petty dumb stuff, I mean, where does it stop, skin color, tall vs short, fat vs thin, aver. IQ vs genius? Creamer in coffee ist verboten, sugar only?

Go for it!
 
It's their RIGHT to form a group, with ANY perameters, on ANY subject, including coffee cup collectors assoc. (hehe)
It certainly is, as it should be. People should have the right to form organizations based on whatever parameters they choose, including "race" (again, whatever that is). If a group of people wanted to form an organization called "White Gun Owners of America", that should be their right, and yet the response from most in the "gun community", including many posters in this thread, would be, I suspect, very negative. My response would be very negative as well. I think that White Gun Owners of America is extremely distasteful and excludes people that it should not. Even if people with darker skin were allowed to join, the name and marketing literature would not encourage that. For some reason, the public in general, including many in the "gun community" are fine with and even encourage organizations that exclude (or at least discourage membership from) people of European descent, but they're not ok with an organization that discourages membership from people of African descent. Seems hypocritical.
 
I guess my point is that a new shooter is likely a bit nervous in the first place, so being able to at least start in an environment of folks of similar background makes things more comfortable.
I know a number of folks with lighter skin tones who are generally uncomfortable with people who have African ancestry. If those folks were new shooters, would you be ok with a class specifically marketed as "Pistol Shooting 101 for White People"?
 
Keep in mind the goal here, an increase in positive engagement of the community in support of 2A rights. From those on the outside, the NRA has long been seen as a good old boys club full of white, stubborn racist men. Now, that's not true...but that's the perception from the outside, and that's certainly enough to keep many different groups from joining. Now, with the problems happening with our largest advocacy group, we will need new groups that are able to engage a wider swath of the population to support 2A causes. Hopefully, there will be coordination between these new and existing groups for expanding awareness and interest...and for lobbying. So I'm all for NAAGA, or Jews for pew pew's, Koreans for Kalashnikovs, or whatever. Personally, I think having a piece of legislation supported by GOA, NAAGA, Pink Pistols, JPFO, and others carries more weight than just being supported by the NRA. Imagine CNN trying to oppose legislation supported by a group of African American, transgender, Muslim musicians advocating for responsible ownership of suppressed firearms.:D
 
It certainly is, as it should be. People should have the right to form organizations based on whatever parameters they choose, including "race" (again, whatever that is). If a group of people wanted to form an organization called "White Gun Owners of America", that should be their right, and yet the response from most in the "gun community", including many posters in this thread, would be, I suspect, very negative. My response would be very negative as well. I think that White Gun Owners of America is extremely distasteful and excludes people that it should not. Even if people with darker skin were allowed to join, the name and marketing literature would not encourage that. For some reason, the public in general, including many in the "gun community" are fine with and even encourage organizations that exclude (or at least discourage membership from) people of European descent, but they're not ok with an organization that discourages membership from people of African descent. Seems hypocritical.

It would be hypocritical if the playing field were level. But it is not level. The roots of power in this country don't run through minority groups. There's a reason why comparatively smaller groups of people with like backgrounds band together when necessary - they do it for protection from a majority which can and often does exercise an unfair power advantage over them.

This specific gun rights group has at it's core a desire to move the attitudes of their target demographic away from fear of guns and toward embracing the 2A right. The fear they have is legitimate, driven largely by urban experience that is all too real for them, where too many lives are lost because of chronic issues I won't get into here. These folks want to change that, and while I see it as a very tall order, I applaud them for taking action.

As soon as their donations page is in order I am sending them $100. If anyone who has successfully donated could PM me an alternate donations page for them (the one in their FAQ is presently not working) I'd be grateful.
 
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