Gun sales fell below record levels since Donald Trump was elected president, but the Washington Post reports they are still rising among minorities who are scared of Trump’s administration.
The central message is that overall, gun sales have fallen, but “gun clubs and shops that cater to black and LGBT clients say there has been an uptick in interest in firearms since November among those who fear that racial and gender-based violence could increase during Donald Trump’s presidency.”
WaPo recounts the 19 consecutive months of record background checks for gun sales that began in May 2015 and continued through November 2016. But the high levels of gun sales subsided once Hillary Clinton was defeated and President Trump secured office. After all, Trump took a forthright, pro-Second Amendment stance throughout his campaign and has already begun rolling back Obama-era gun control measures.
But WaPo claims that while the bulk of Americans have relaxed, minorities and the LGBT community have gone into a buying frenzy. Moreover, the outlet claims that buying frenzy is based in fear of the Trump administration.
WaPo talked with Philip Smith, founder of the National African American Gun Association (NAAGA), who said, “Trump is some of that reason [for gun sales], and rhetoric from other groups that have been on the fringe.” He added, “It’s like being racist is cool now.” Smith said his group has “added over 7,000 members” since Trump won the election and that new chapters of NAAGA “are popping up all over the country.”
The newspaper also spoke to Kevin Jones, a gun dealer in Cleveland, who indicated that “Trump has been better for sales than Obama, an increase driven by people who want to protect themselves from potential violence.” Jones said, “A lot of people are afraid of this administration and afraid of what this kind of started. Whether it’s perceived or true, a lot of people feel that there’s a lot more racially oriented violence out there right now.”
But when WaPo spoke to Jan Morgan, owner of Gun Cave Indoor Firing Range in Hot Springs, Arkansas, she presented a different angle. Morgan said she thinks Trump will be good for gun sales because “Americans are concerned about the possibility of terrorist attacks on home soil.” And while Trump is trying to limit the influx of refugees and illegal immigrants–as well as immigration from areas with known ties to terrorism–Democrats continue to fight him at every turn, effectively leaving the door open for dangerous people to enter the country.
On March 6, Breitbart News spoke to Mike Cargill, owner of Central Texas Gun Works. As a gay black gun store owner, Cargill has a unique perspective on current sales. He said, “I don’t know why, but I am seeing more minorities walk into the gun store to purchase firearms and get training. My classes are now ten percent African American, whereas last year before the election, it was at two percent.” Cargill added, “It’s kind of like after a mass shooting event. But this time, minorities are purchasing. I do believe this could be because the mainstream media is trying to portray President Trump as racist, which, of course, I don’t believe is true.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.