Black Gun-Owners React To Minnesota Shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The police killing of Philando Castile-- a Black Minnesota gun owner who was licensed to carry -- is sparking strong reaction from the Black gun owners community. As KYW Community Affairs reporter Cherri Gregg says--they believe the victim in this case-- did everything right.
"It's almost unbelievable," says Maj Toure, a North Philadelphia artist and founder of Black Guns Matter. The group is dedicated to educating and training urban gun owners on proper use and handling of fire arms. Toure organizes training's at the Philadelphia Training Academy on Spring Garden Street. He believes Philando Castile appeared to have followed the correct protocols for a police stop.
"The young man handled himself properly," says Toure, "the problem-- was that officer."
Toure says whether or not gun owners who are licensed to carry a firearm must disclose they are carrying during a traffic stop depends on the state. He says gun owners should be familiar with their state laws and know other states' laws when traveling. Toure, however, recommends disclosing any firearm to law enforcement and reminds gun owners to keep communication open.
"Some law enforcement are nervous during a traffic stop," he says, "communicating and listening to the officer and the officer communicating and listening to the citizen-- these are the things we stress."
Toure does not believe the Castile shooting is a gun rights issue.
"It's about a rouge officer shooting a man," he says.
Corey Wilson who has run BlackGunOwners.org, an online Facebook forum, for over a decade disagrees.
"Racial profiling puts us at a disadvantage every single time," says Wilson, who counsels his 3000 members to also disclose their firearms to law enforcement.
"I tell them-- understand that you are a black man and that you know your rights and are armed," he says, "these facts can be threatening to law enforcement."
Wilson says Black gun must be diligent.
"You are more likely to be labeled a criminal regardless of the situation," he says.
Wilson says he founded his online forum because he believes the National Rifle Association and other gun organizations cater to White gun owners, ignoring some of the issues that gun owners of color face, like discrimination in the exercise of their Second Amendment rights.
"When the rubber hits the road, White gun owners do not look at Black gun owners the same," he says, "at the end of the day-- [Black gun owners] are Americans but we are in America."
Both Toure and Wilson tell gun owners to be careful during interactions with police. They advise keep hands visible, do not make any sudden movement and speak respectfully to police.
Robert Preston of the Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association wrote an email in response to KYW Newsradio's request for comment. He wrote in part:
"The reaction in a discussion in our forum is one of being repulsed. We share great sadness for Mr. Philando Castile, his family, and his friends....Society in the past 40-50 years has grown unaccustomed to lawful ownership and carrying(starting to sway the other way though). Then mix in the wrongful stigma of certain ethnics or others only carrying illegally - the law abiding folks of whatever ethnicity get treated wrongfully. Just because a person has a gun, it doesn't mean they have criminal intent to deploy said gun. However the mental conditioning of many folks creates the assumption that all who carry are bad, and then multiply that issue when a person of color or other ethnic relation is involved.
I recommend that EVERY non-prohibited person, regardless of color, race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc get their carry license.....even people who are against gun ownership and/or carrying. When the "law" sees that the majority of people aren't bad people with high numbers of carry licenses issued, they cannot ignore that fact that law abiding people do carry and can be carrying at any given moment. With more people carrying legally, the overzealous officers will have to recondition their mental attitudes towards all, not just those of color."
The National Rifle Association did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this issue.
