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Black Gun Club

12:36

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August 21, 2022

According to surveys, one in four African Americans owns a gun, a number that has risen sharply in recent years. African Americans are disproportionately more often the victims of shootings, including those by police. Many are turning to gun clubs as they learn how to handle their weapons.

"No-one is coming to save us," says Anubis Heru. “We have to save ourselves." Heru co-founded 1770 Armory, the first black gun club in the US state of Colorado. His goal is to teach members of the Black community how to properly use firearms. At shooting ranges, he demonstrates what's important when picking up a pistol or assault rifle. And attendance at his courses is booming. More than one in three white US citizens owns a gun, according to surveys. Some fear that if gun-ownership in the Black community rises, social tensions could escalate faster than they already have done, leading to a possible rise in shootings. Anubis Heru doesn't accept that. He says that given the situation, Black people need weapons to defend themselves.

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