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African-American Gun Clubs

never knew they had 'em, honestly. and, as i watched the video, i was thinking in all the years i have been shooting i've never, ever seen a person of color at any of the gun clubs i belonged to. not just in massachusetts but colorado and new hampshire. not saying we didn't have minority members, i'm sure we did. in my younger years i traveled around the country shooting trap, ihmsa and ipsc and never seen even one at an event. the only exception was at major trap shoots like the grand, zone shoots and some larger state shoots there were 5 older black dudes from west palm beach that would show up and compete, always shot as a squad.
 
I abhor segregation and segregated gun clubs shouldn't exist. I don't want to see African-American clubs any more than I want to see White-American clubs (and there would be a Civil Rights suit and shut-down if anyone tried to create a Whites only club at this point in time). There are tons of minorities (Black, Asians, etc.) as members at Braintree R&P and I've never seen anyone treated any differently than anyone else . . . I like it that way.
 
Gun clubs, by and large, do not have a welcoming facade. Drive by your (or someone else's) club, and look at it with the eyes of a Non.

It looks....unwelcoming. First, most of the time, there's nobody around. Then, when there is someone, they're mostly old white dudes. Probably with guns, into the bargain. Now, add into the mix the warning signs that most Clubs have up on the perimeter.....scary.

This is why I say that all the good deeds that we do (scout camp-outs, kids' Christmas parties, hosting Hunter Ed. Community outreach) needs to be spread far and wide. We're not that scary, after all.
 
Len-2A Training said:
I abhor segregation and segregated gun clubs shouldn't exist. I don't want to see African-American clubs any more than I want to see White-American clubs (and there would be a Civil Rights suit and shut-down if anyone tried to create a Whites only club at this point in time). There are tons of minorities (Black, Asians, etc.) as members at Braintree R&P and I've never seen anyone treated any differently than anyone else . . . I like it that way.
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Yup +10000. Racial segregation leads to disunity and weakness. We need to build trust and friendships.
 
greencobra said:
never knew they had 'em, honestly. and, as i watched the video, i was thinking in all the years i have been shooting i've never, ever seen a person of color at any of the gun clubs i belonged to. not just in massachusetts but colorado and new hampshire. not saying we didn't have minority members, i'm sure we did. in my younger years i traveled around the country shooting trap, ihmsa and ipsc and never seen even one at an event. the only exception was at major trap shoots like the grand, zone shoots and some larger state shoots there were 5 older black dudes from west palm beach that would show up and compete, always shot as a squad.
Click to expand...

I shot a multi-gun competition yesterday at my local club in Georgia. There were 36 shooters and the overwhelming majority of shooters were white males. There were a couple of women shooting, and a couple of "non-white" males shooting. One guy shooting on my squad is a local cop, I guess he's a "person of color", he shoots at most of our 3 gun competitions.

Another squad was made up of Rangers from Fort Stewart and some of their group were "non-white", some hispanic, some african-american, some asian - they were all wearing Team SVS shirts - Silent, Vicious, Silent. Most of them have shot with us before.

After forty years in Connecticut and two years down here in Georgia - I think that people in the NorthEast are far more race conscious than people in the South.
 
Have any of the instructors out there considered offering a free MA compliant class to minorities? More minorities with licenses mean more minorities against more gun control. Would make for an interesting reaction from the left, both because their picture of gun owners as racists would be shattered and they would now be oppressing the oppressed people they claim to fight for.

Even if the participants only take the class to learn some safety and the reality of gun ownership in MA, it would be good for the cause.

Hmm, I wonder if I could reserve some space for a community firearms safety event in the Memorial building. I know they let the Brady Campaign hold an event there. Any interested instructors? (so much for my political capital in town...I mean city[devil][rockon][smile]) <hooray for the return of our emojis>
 
You have a significant portion of the black population who sees the typical gun club as being full of "racist white guys". This (false) perception could be motivated by past personal experiences, particularly for he older black population, but the overall narrative is perpetuated by mainstream media, social media, BLM, etc. It can be difficult to take a step back from that mentality, and judge people as individuals, especially if your entire social sphere shares the same mindset. Just look at the way that black conservatives are treated in the media as "race traitors" or "uncle toms". If you are going to think differently than the hive mind, you'd better be thick skinned or learn to keep it on the down low.

I don't support the idea of a racially exclusive gun club, but I do think there may be some value in fostering an interest in firearms and the second amendment for people who otherwise might not head to your local gun show. Once that common ground is developed I don't think it would take long for one to realize that their stereotypes are false. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to backfire, and just further perpetuate racial divisions.


For me, it's worth mentioning that prior to getting licensed I passed this billboard on the way to work every day for years thinking that maybe I'll get around to going to one of those gun shows and picking up Glock.

1219108803_9304.jpg



Didn't take long to realize just how much bullshit I had been fed my entire life. Eventually, getting licensed and joining a gun club WAS that catalyst for a significant change of my world view - and I sure didn't need a so called African-American gun club to accomplish that. Actually, my first club broke almost every stereotype about gun owners and subsequently conservatives that had been ingrained in me by family and society at large. I began to look at many things in a different light with the notion that "Well if they were lying about guns, what else are they lying about?". I think that if I had joined a black gun club (no not that kind) then perhaps I would have come to the same conclusion, only it may have taken a bit longer. I'm not sure if I can say the same for others though.

-Edit-
I do think that Maj Toure of Black Guns Matter is doing a great job of promoting legal gun ownership to people in communities that generally view guns as associated with crime. It's also great to see the support he got from Comm2A when he came to Mass earlier this year.
 
As Len said, the membership at Braintree is pretty diverse. I've also seen quite a few minorities at MFS and Four Seasons.

The reason there aren't that many Black gun owners is because statistically, most vote Democrat, who as we all know, want to get rid of guns any way possible. Many Blacks also associate guns with crime and violence in their community, caused by decades of policies crafted by above-mentioned party.

allen-1 said:
After forty years in Connecticut and two years down here in Georgia - I think that people in the NorthEast are far more race conscious than people in the South.
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The stereotype that southerners and conservatives are racist and liberals are enlightened/welcoming is complete bullshit, as you've observed. I have a friend, white dude, who moved up to MA from the deep south, as in small rural town in South Carolina, and he was shocked by some of the racism he saw in Boston. That said, I think there are racists on both sides of the political spectrum. The difference is racist conservatives will let you know to your face what their views are on certain ethnicities, whereas liberals will hide their hatred behind a facade of political correctness and "diversity." Conservatives also generally don't think about race as much as who you are as a person, and your contributions. Liberals are obsessed with the idea of race, and the SJW hierarchy of oppression olympics, and will treat you according to where you fall on that ladder. I know plenty of white liberals, for example, who bend over backwards to kiss up to Blacks, Muslims, and Hispanics, but treat Asians like absolute trash. I called out one such co-worker for racist BS, and his reply was "I can't be racist. I vote Democrat!"
 
BostonVI said:
Just look at the way that black conservatives are treated in the media as "race traitors" or "uncle toms". If you are going to think differently than the hive mind, you'd better be thick skinned or learn to keep it on the down low.
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X1000. Same goes for the Hispanic community in MA. A thick skin is an understatement. What makes everything worthwhile is when you get questioned by some who are genuinely curious on why you believe differently from the hive. There are people who will listen to a different position, but they may be few and far between. Univision and Telemundo news help assuring that the R’s are the devil.

That being said, I’ve never felt like an outsider in any gun club/setting. Race isn’t important when we’re all at the range, being safe, and having a great time. I cannot think of any other setting where this superficial crap couldn’t be more irrelevant.
 
I think it's sad that they have us even thinking about this. The gun clubs I have belonged to over the years it never even came up. The other side is making us think like this. I have seen a few blacks at the gun clubs I've belonged to. Some Spanish too. Never once did I think why are they here. They are like minded individuals, same as me.
 
StevieP said:
Dat's Raciss!

Gun owners are very tolerant, open, un-f***-giving-about-color as any group I've met. Why wouldn't black folks be welcome at ANY gun club?
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Yes, many (most) tend to be. But that doesn't change the perception. Take a listen to this episode of The Polite Society Podcast (Episode 430 – Tiffany Johnson, Kenn Blanchard, and Aqil Qadir | The Polite Society Podcast) where they interview a few folks about it. It misqoute one of them, he was very nervous going to the gun range the first time because it was driving down a dirt road into the middle of "this is where they burn crosses" country to be in a remote place with a bunch of old white dudes with guns. That could be a bit intimidating and a good reason to have more gun clubs where 'hey, a lot of poeple here look like me' regardless of if that's black people, women, LGBT people, muslims, asians, whites, or whatever.
 
This is the biggest crock of shit I have ever heard. If there has ever been a community that should be inclusive, it is the firearms community. The right to bear arms and the right to defend yourself and your family, should be considered a natural right, and has absolutely nothing to do with race, religion or ethnicity.
I have had the pleasure of shooting with all kinds people at my club. Black, white, asian, male, female, and I have to say that the only a**h***s I have ever met were white. First time I ever shot a Glock and an HK was with some nice black guy at the club who was teaching his nephews how to shoot and shoot safely.
 
I'm a member at Boston Gun & Rifle Association in Dorchester & I shoot there every week. A very diverse club -- lots of African-Americans, Asians, Latinos / Latinas, gay / lesbian and yeah a few old straight white guys like me. I haven't met anyone yet I didn't like.
 
I was going to post, but LFF beat me to it, that BGRA in Boston is a very diverse club. Donna Major aka kimmie1911 (of Comm2A, USPSA, and JPFO fame) teaches there. It was the home of the Boston Urban Action Shooters BUAS for many years and was the home of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Second Amendment Sisters until the national group disbanded and the MA chapter moved to Braintree Rifle & Pistol Club to have greater access to a variety of facilities.
MA LTC, Firearms Safety Class, bostongunandrifle.com, Boston
Boston Gun & Rifle Assoc Inc
 
Waher said:
I was going to post, but LFF beat me to it, that BGRA in Boston is a very diverse club. Donna Major aka kimmie1911 (of Comm2A, USPSA, and JPFO fame) teaches there. It was the home of the Boston Urban Action Shooters BUAS for many years and was the home of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Second Amendment Sisters until the national group disbanded and the MA chapter moved to Braintree Rifle & Pistol Club to have greater access to a variety of facilities.
MA LTC, Firearms Safety Class, bostongunandrifle.com, Boston
Boston Gun & Rifle Assoc Inc
Click to expand...
I consider Donna Major a respected friend. She's a member of BR&P as well. A little correction . . . she was running an urban chapter of SAS with the blessing of the MA chapter leader (Lynne Roberts). So for years there were two opportunities in MA for women to go to SAS events monthly. I haven't seen her in a while so I don't know if she is or isn't running the group at BGRA anymore after the national group folded their tent.
 

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