Over at takepart.com, New York-based Fulbright scholar and writer Rebecca McCray tells us Why Gun Control Isn’t at the Heart of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Only she doesn’t, really. Although the article’s subtitle proclaims Stricter gun laws could do more harm than good to poor, black communities, experts and activists say that’s not what I’m reading . . .
No expert or activist makes mention of the racist roots of American gun control (cited extensively in the Supreme Court’s Heller decision). No member of the Black Lives Matter or similar groups calls for African-Americans to exercise their natural, civil or Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms in their own defense. Instead, we get this . . .
Million Hoodies Movement for Justice, a national racial justice network, is one of the groups engaging in that debate with members of the gun control advocacy community. At a recent roundtable in Washington, D.C., representatives from the group met with leaders from organizations such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, which advocates for “sensible gun laws” and universal background checks for gun buyers. So far, according to Million Hoodies policy director Pete Haviland-Eduah, the conversation has been productive.
“I think it’s totally unfair to ignore the racial implications of gun laws,” said Haviland-Eduah. “The general sense I’m getting is that [people in the gun control movement] are understanding that these conversations need to have a racial context.”
Without that, Haviland-Eduah and Sinyangwe fear, black communities will unfairly bear the brunt of stricter gun laws.
How ironic can you get? They already bear the brunt of stricter gun laws. Current gun laws leave black communities throughout the United States defenseless against crime and yes, government tyranny. Just as they have since their inception in the Deep South, where the Powers That Be disarmed blacks to enable their disenfranchisement, discrimination, rape, torture and murder. But that’s not how these “activists” see it. Not at all.
“Many of the already existing instances of racial profiling and over-policing that contribute to mass incarceration come from gun control measures,” [Alex] Gourevitch told TakePart. “If we really care about the condition of people living in poor black communities, the issue isn’t just the destruction of physical lives but how low the quality of life is. The best thing would be to reduce the number of things we call crimes and instead look to things like social and economic policy.”
You and I might think that Gourevitch’s anti-policing argument supports the repeal of gun laws. Read it again. The Brown University Poli Sci Prof wants his anti-gun cake and eat his social welfare cake, too.
Anyway, it’s good to know that Ladd Everitt’s anti-gun extremists – supporters who openly call for the SWATting of open carriers – are trying to convince the BLM movement to argue for more gun control. Like this:
Haviland-Eduah’s and Sinyangwe’s ideas are having an influence on the gun control movement. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is trying to get more data on the racial implications of federal gun possession laws, a quest that was borne of conversations with members of the Black Lives Matter community.
“The dialogue we’ve started is critical and has been incredibly useful,” the coalition’s communications director, Ladd Everitt, told TakePart. “I don’t think we’re going to reach a point where their agenda is our agenda, but we are finding areas of common concern and working on those.”
If that data can be identified and collected, Everitt believes the coalition and the broader anti–gun violence community would gladly campaign around racial disparities in gun laws.
Haviland-Eduah would welcome such a change.
“Guns affect all communities in this country, and I think it’s important to make that distinction when people point their finger at the Black Lives Matter movement and say, ‘Guns should be a part of this,’ ” Haviland-Eduah said. “It almost feels like they’re saying guns are only a black or brown problem.”
So they’ve got it exactly backwards. The sooner The People of the Gun recruit and welcome minorities into the fold the better.
You can lead a horse to water . . . .
SWATting open carriers. What could possibly go wrong?
BLM is a gangbanger front. They really don’t pay attention to gun laws.
The anti’s will try to co-op any movement to get they way.
Except it’s CO-OPT.
OH SNAP!
Let them get into bed with that group. The BLM backers are the same people who backed OWS and that turned nasty with sex assaults, fights, and robberies. If MDA is going to go full bore with BLM, I for one welcome it.
Yes, lets see the Shannon’s “mommies” hanging out with the BLM folks. Nothing could go wrong with that.
“I don’t think we’re going to reach a point where their agenda is our agenda…”
-but if we can co-opt their numbers for a while………to energize our…….-
“…trying to convince the BLM…”
What does the Bureau of Land Management have to do with… wait, what? Not THAT BLM? Black Lives Matter? Oh, ok. Sorry, my bad.
BLM vs. BLM. Does it really matter? They are both a group of thugs trying to force their views on other people with the threat of violence. The only difference is that one group has a badge and the other doesn’t.
I hate to say it, but #BlackLivesMatter is exactly as racist as #WhiteLivesMatter. The whole purpose of the movement is to drive a wedge further into the divide between the races.
Our country is being torn apart by this division. The media is in on it. The President and the Justice Department are in on it. What do they really want? Anarchy? I would hope not, but that sure seems to be where they are heading.
We need to get back to a point where everybody is working together to move the Country forward, not just some group within the country.
Anarchy would a be a blessing. No, if the government is really involved, then the goal is likely to cause open conflict, which will give the government more reason to step in and assert more control. Socialism, Communism, fascism, and totalitarianism rely on the absolute authority of, and control by, the government.
Gun control advocates trying to exploit minorities? Show of hands, who is surprised?
Well black lives splatter is just looking for more press-and the dude in the wheelchair getting splattered by the po-leece kinda’ plays into their hands. Not having the “money” shot in that video is inexcusable RF-all we can do is guess at the “justifiable” part…
Little Ladd is a clever little lad. He has discovered that enforcement of gun control laws has a disparate impact on african-americans. What ever will he do? Will he challenge the enforcement of gun control laws in the courts? Has he throught this thru? Is he really that dumb? I am all for federal courts striking down gun control laws on the basis of disparate impact on african-americans.
I don’t think Ladd is so much interested in lightening the guns laws for African Americans as he is about making the gun laws tougher on the rest of society so as to have an equal outcome.
I can see civil rights activists interested in firearms-related issues having a very productive discussion with elements of #BLM provided that there is an emphasis on listening and understanding. Remember, we are trying to get them to (at least as far as the basic right to self defense is concerned), see things our way and that requires listening and developing the ability to see things from their prospective.
As gun owners, we are great at talking to each other but need to be better with the general pubic.
The problem is BLM seems to be about giving thugs a pass instead of protecting decent black people from discrimination by bigoted police. I would have some respect for them if they declared that Michael Brown belonged in a prison cell for strong arm robbery and assault on a police officer but not in a coffin.
The good news is that the hottest spots in Illinois for concealed carry permit applications are the Chicago neighborhoods where gang violence is worst.
The “broader anti-gun violence community…” This literally says they’re an anti-gun community of violence (the truth, even if unintentional). #hyphensmatter
All I want for Christmas is to LIVE.
Have you heard the good news?
Staying alive on Christmas is actually pretty easy. Mind your own damn business and don’t try to rob, beat, or shoot anyone, and you’re good to go.
Amen to that! +10 Billion!
“If that data can be identified and collected, Everitt believes the coalition and the broader anti–gun violence community would gladly campaign around racial disparities in gun laws.” Of course they do. They would rather everyone was disarmed. Except for the Cops, Military, Bodyguard of the Elite and the Gangs. I added Gangs because it it likely they will get guns no matter what laws are passed. The others are all explicitly allowed to carry weapons.
That isn’t going to work. BLM is what could be called the political arm of the ghetto culture. They are angry about being prevented from behaving in ways that would cause CSGV members to faint.
heh… let them have each other.
Somehow I don’t think liberal white guilt will be enough to control the “BLM” movement anymore than grabbing a tiger by its tail.
I’m not sure if this story is more full of irony or cognitive dissonance; either way, it’s painful.
“The best thing would be to reduce the number of things we call crimes and instead look to things like social and economic policy.”
Still a bit ironic. When we live in the JP section of Boston, the Globe ran an article quoting Roxbury residents complaining about lower crime. Why? Because lower crime lead to white people moving in, rents going up, and housing prices going up.
Expect this to be repeated often in every area where crime goes down. New Orleans media had similar stories. I’m sure they can be found in every major city.
By George ypu’ve got it! (who is George anyway?) All we have to do is get rid of laws that say you can’t rob convienence stores and beat up the clerks and we can reduce a lot of police violence. Let’s also get rid of laws that prohibit you from assaulting someone who disrespects you and no more private citizen violence. We all know that laws create criminals so if you abolish law then you abolish crime!
I just gotta wonder how far this attempted bromance between the “cops are trigger-happy racists” and the “only the police can be trusted with guns” crowds can go. Probably farther than you might think, but only because of the astoundingly schizophrenic nature of what passes for thought among what we now call “progressives”.
“If that data can be identified and collected, Everitt believes the coalition and the broader anti–gun violence community would gladly campaign around racial disparities in gun laws.”
The implication reveals the bias – the implication being, they already know the data support their position, even before identifying and collecting it. LOL.
In social movement theory, this is called “frame-alignment”. It refers to a phenomenon where groups advocating issues that may be completely disparate combine to make an apparent common cause. Usually one movement co-opts the other. Gun control and police brutality are completely different issues, yet we are seeing gun-controllers attempt to co-opt Black Lives Matter.
I believe that concept was invented by the Communists in the 1930s under the concept of the “Popular Front.” The Popular Front leadership enlists disparate elements to support their objectives. BLM is a front used by race hustlers, the Democratic Party and the gangs to put the gangs in control of the streets. The movement has enlisted Communists and other SJWs who think they are making the great prolitarian revolution, Anarchists who are stinking at authority and faux Libertarians mumbling about police militarization. The result has been major progress by the gangs in taking over the streets in major American cities.
With the way things are, BLM should actually move to have large quantities of weapons laws re-appealed as they are susceptible to abuse by LEOs. As an example:
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/how-a-50s-era-new-york-knife-law-has-landed-thousands-in-jail-6662589
This sounds very similar to Freddie Gray’s arrest in Baltimore on the pretense he was carrying an illegal knife that has since been put into serious question of legality.
Two birds. One stone.
I LIKE this plan!
If BLACKLIVESMATTER
#STOPKILLINGEACHOTHER
The 2nd Amendment was put into the Constitution so the people could protect themselves from a corrupt government. The only gun control law there should be is that criminals can’t have any firearms. Thanks for your vote, pass the word. mrpresident2016.com
2nd Amendment, read it it.
No double standards put the DC politicians on Obamacare and SS.Thanks for your support and vote.Pass the word. mrpresident2016.com
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