A growing number of black Chicagoans are reacting to their city’s surging violence by taking courses where they learn to shoot and carry guns for self-defense.
The Chicago Tribune reports that when one considers new customers nationally in the gun community in 2020, “black customers accounted for the largest increase of any racial group.” And in Chicago specifically, black residents are pouring into gun courses and concealed carry courses, seeking a way to protect themselves from the violence that is all around.
Fifty-eight-year-old Yvette Farmer, a South Side resident, said she got a gun because there was too much “craziness” going on around her.
Farmer noted, “Bullets don’t have names. They can go anywhere. If you learn how to use something you’re better prepared.”
Chicago concealed carry instructor and former police officer Mike Brown indicated fear of certain crimes, carjackings included, are driving more and more black Chicagoans to pursue their concealed carry permits.
‘Hayes’ is a member of the 761st Gun Club, an organization focused on defending the rights of law-abiding gun owners, particularly law-abiding, black gun owners. He said, “Typically, bad guys don’t look for fights. They look for victims. And if a bad guy understands that his potential victim is armed as well as or better than him, typically he will rule that individual out as his target.”
The Tribune reports 388 people were shot in Chicago from January 1, 2021, through February 26, 2021, including fatal and non-fatal shootings. As for homicides only, 81 people were killed from January 1, 2021, through February 25, 2021.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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