I have been reading Kenneth V. F. Blanchard’s Black Man with a Gun, a powerful book that counters the misperceptions surrounding African Americans and guns. Blanchard, as do I, calls for information based decision-making over myth. He is working to overcome Caucasian America’s misperceptions about African American gun ownership, and he is teaching African American communities about their rights.
Blanchard points out that African Americans have suffered from mistrust left over from slavery and years and years of residual oppression. In describing the founding of his Tenth Cavalry Gun Club Blanchard writes, “Our goal was to start chapters in all the states where there were a large number of African American firearms enthusiasts and provide them a club that fostered lawful and responsible gun ownership. This doesn’t seem like a big deal unless you realize that black people have been conditioned not to trust or openly admit gun ownership.”
For Blanchard, as for me, when people can learn about firearms, take firearms safety courses, and become confident in their skills, they develop self-confidence and independence, no matter what their heritage. To become confident in yourself and to become safe with a dangerous tool that has so many misperceptions and biases surrounding it is a wonderful thing.
Visit Ken’s website at http://www.blackmanwithagun.com and get your own copy at http://www.blackmanwithagun.com/site/recreading.asp?sec_id=140000845