I suggest we first drop preconceived notions about how black people view guns. We may not know how black people feel about guns.
When we see the media's vision of gun owners, we laugh. Real attorneys laugh at how the process of law is depicted. Scientists laugh at the "scientific facts" in TV shows. There's a good chance the media gets black views (minorities in general) wrong.
We should engage in conversations with different kinds of people. Please stay yourself, don't effect a stance or dialect you think they can relate to. That simply shows you see a color, not a person.
I've seen both ends. Once, a well meaning person rushed to assist a black man disassemble his 1911, not knowing the guy probably knew more about guns than he. On the other end, I saw a gun show ammo vendor overlook a black customer, then tried to rip him off after he insisted on being served.
We need a way to expose more people to the enjoyment and responsibility of gun ownership. In just about every major city, practice and training facilities are, in a practical sense, unavailable.
The irony of busing city dwellers who have expressed interest in firearms to a range that's probably outside the city is thick. But it would be nice if self-selected enthusiasts had an easier way to participate in practice and training. To illuminate the transportation issue, when I was a graduate student, I sometimes gave a ride to a visiting professor from New York City. In his sixties, he never had to learn to drive. Or, one can't take the "L" to a range in Chicago.
I've visited gun websites where too many members are probably also on "Stormfront". Racism might have created "stay at home" gun enthusiasts who present a lower public profile. Rather than letting them slide, post opposition to thoughtless, groundless racist posts. There's a difference between wanting everyone to be "PC" and counter-posting those who are constantly race baiting.
We just might have more people openly standing by our side.
