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February 22, 2023

States such as New York have been signing conceal carry restrictions into law like there’s no tomorrow.  And recently there have been claims that these restrictions disproportionately impact minority communities.  Likewise, there is a lawsuit claiming that the “good moral character” clause included in New York’s Conceal Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) is rooted in racist tradition, and its subjective nature is just another way to deny minorities gun permits.

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These developments in the continued suppression of Americans’ God-given right to bear arms come on the heels of a trend showing an increase in black gun ownership over the past couple of years.  Forty-four percent of retailers saw an increase in African-Americans purchasing firearms in 2021.

Also, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), at least 40 percent of gun sales in 2020 were made by first-time gun-buyers.  Among these first-time gun-buyers were young people, women, and minorities, from all over the spectrum of political views.  In 2020, the number of gun purchases by African-Americans increased 56% from what it was in 2019, according to research by the NSSF.

And a 2022 New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center report found that Black and Hispanic gun-owners are several times more likely to carry a firearm outside the home than white gun-owners.

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The NSSF’s managing director of public affairs, Mark Oliva, has spoken at length about the rise in gun ownership among black Americans, who are looking to become educated and highly trained with the most modern firearms technology.  He says that due to growing numbers of women and minorities purchasing firearms, “today’s gun owner looks a whole lot less like me and looks more like the rest of America, because they are the rest of America.”

Oliva says that the typical gun-owner today is “shattering the stereotypes” and that “it’s becoming much more difficult for those who oppose gun ownership to put gun owners into a neat little box as they have in the past.”

The Rise of the National African American Gun Association (NAAGA)

The National African American Gun Association (NAAGA) has seen dramatic growth from 58 percent in 2021.  And the group celebrates its eight-year anniversary this year, during Black History Month, on February 28.  I decided to have a chat with the president and founder of NAAGA, Philip Smith, on topics related to black gun ownership and other present-day Second Amendment issues.

While the NAAGA encourages black citizens to practice their Second Amendment rights in a safe and positive way, the group is open to anyone, not just black gun-owners.  The organization currently has over 2,000 white members.

“We’re not worried about where you’re coming from or what you do in your private time or how you’re dressed and all these social, political, and racial litmus tests.  We don’t have that,” says Smith, who makes inclusivity a core aspect of the group.  “We’re gonna give you a high five and say, ‘Come on, sister,’ regardless of your color or gender.”