Report: Gun ownership in the Black community, among women on the rise

Continuing in a long line of news articles reporting on a fact that should scare anti-gun rights Democrats to their core, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that gun ownership trends in Ohio and across the country are shifting, especially in the Black community and among women.

From the article:

Annette Sumlin is one of the faces of that trend.

“I know a lot of single African American women of all ages, and they’re scared to leave their homes at night, and sometimes in the day because they are afraid something may happen to them,” said Sumlin, 36, of Cleveland. “I also believe that my gun gives me my sense of security and it ensures that I can protect my home no matter what happens.”

...

In 2021, there were more than 5.4 million first-time gun buyers... Half of guns the guns purchased were handguns.

Over 33% of gun buyers in 2021 were women.

Although Sumlin wants to protect her family, she said politics induced her decision to purchase a firearm. She said the tension between states to tighten or loosen gun laws prompted her to become a gun owner.

“There was a discussion about whether or not many states were going to have stricter gun laws and whether they were going to stiffen open carry gun laws because of increased crime,” Sumlin said.

The report does not indicate whether Sumlin votes as a Republican or a Democrat, but given that 92% of voters who are black voted for Joe Biden, an anti-gun extremist, the fact that people like Sumlin are becoming increasingly concerned about potential gun control laws should put Democrats on notice.

Again, from the article:

In 2020, there was a 58% increase in Blacks purchasing guns from 2019, according to research reports.

In 2021, nearly 44% of retailers saw an increase of Black purchasing firearms, according to a survey by the National Shooting Sports Federation. Nearly 40% saw a jump in purchases by Hispanic Americans. More than 27% saw an uptick in sales to Asian Americans.

Mark Oliva, the managing director of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said the face of a typical gunowner has changed.

“Today’s gun buyer does not look like me anymore but is a representative of America because they are the rest of America,” said Oliva, who is white. “They’re more inclusive of the different demographic groups we have. They’re younger, more urban, and they’re more likely to exercise those Second Amendment rights than ever before.”

...

“In those two years, people were becoming very concerned for their personal safety,” Oliva said. “When they see the rising levels of crime, they want to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

The article goes on to provide quotes from Philip Smith, the founder and president of the National African American Gun Association in Griffin, Georgia.

Smith started the group in 2015. As of today, the group holds more than 40,000 members and is comprised of 60% men and 40% women. The Ohio chapter accounts for 402 members.

...

One of Smith’s goals is for Blacks to deter from the thoughts that “guns are bad.” Growing up, most Blacks are taught to shy away guns. Smith believes political leadership has played a role in this thought process, a system that may come with political ramification in the next few years.

“We are getting more engaged in understanding that having a gun is okay,” Smith said.

Speaking as a someone who has been a gun rights advocate for more than 20 years, and as a co-founder of BFA, which seeks to defend and advance the right of ALL Ohio citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities, including self-defense, hunting, competition, and recreation, those are very encouraging words indeed!

Chad D. Baus served as Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary from 2013-2019, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor.

Related Articles:

Headline: Organization advocates, empowers African American gun ownership

Report: Largest rise in gun ownership? African-American women