It’s confusing to understand what is happening. Are we witnessing more gun violence because it is being filmed, or are we experiencing more gun violence because people have become more violent? Whatever the answer, the solutions to dealing with the increased threat to Black people must be addressed.
The idea of having to duck under a table is becoming an increased norm when I enter certain places. I never sit with my back to the main entrance, and I make sure to identify all the exits in the business that I am in just in case I need to exit quickly.
These are the thoughts that anyone must have when shopping, attending church, or sitting outside at a concert. I wish I could say that the violence is random. But after the recent assaults on Black people doing regular everyday activities, one must consider the need to carry protection to stop a threat.
The thought of not being able to protect the ones I love because I was not prepared is beginning to dominate my mind as summer rolls along. I cannot afford to have our lives changed forever just because
some nut wants to cause pain to as many people as possible.
“My life was forever changed because I was robbed in my own driveway.” Rick Ector said. “I was staring at a gun in my face and thought, ‘I might get killed over 40 dollars.”
Rick Ector is a licensed, NRA card-carrying, gun instructor who loves the direction the country is going in when it comes to gun laws.
“I am a believer in the second amendment, and I also believe that we all should do everything in our power to protect ourselves,” Ector said.
Ector has been teaching others gun safety for 15 years and understands the anxiety people are facing as they venture out today. Due to him being robbed, he learned gun control and then decided to never be in a vulnerable position where someone could hurt him again.
More Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2020 than in any other year on record, according to recently published statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That included a record number of gun murders,
as well as a near-record number of gun suicides. Despite the increase in such fatalities, the rate of gun deaths – a statistic that accounts for the nation’s growing population – remains below the levels of earlier years.
For Black people, the insane ways that they are being killed could be curbed with protection. But the idea of getting a gun means that is an increased risk of something happening to the new gun owner if they do not get the proper training.
“In my opinion owning a gun is like protection of freedom of speech,” Ector said. “However, having a gun does not give you the right to just go out and shoot people. Those who decide to get a gun will need to take it seriously and make sure that they do not add to the problem.
Each state is making it easier to get guns. In the State of Ohio, it is no longer needed to get a CCW (Care and Conceal Weapon) This means that virtually anyone, who wants a gun, can now get one without having to prove that they were trained, are mentally capable, or sound enough to have a gun. Ohioans can expect to see people walking around with a gun on their hips as they go about doing their daily chores.
Constitutional carry, the new Ohio gun law, is the chief term gun-rights advocates use to describe the freedom to carry a firearm, openly or concealed, anytime or anyplace, without government licensing registration or training.
For Black people, what does this mean? Can Blacks expect to see an increase in gun violence towards them? Will Black on Black crime increase due to the pure nature of people solving their issues with guns instead of other means?
No one can be sure what the changes in the law will mean for everyday life. Based on that uncertainty, Black people will need to be prepared to deal with any situation that comes up.
Ohio just passed another law where schoolteachers can carry a firearm. Soft targets all over need to address this new uncertainty to protect the people who frequent their places
of business or worship.
“We have a problem in our culture of thinking that people will respect gun-free zones,” Ector said.
Gun-free zones are places where no gun is allowed and where typically mass numbers of people visit at the same time. Ector believes that these zones are magnets for people who desire to cause harm to people and want as many dead bodies as possible when they exact their goal of causing harm to a group of people.
“I personally think that we need to eliminate gun-free zones.” Ector continued, “Why would we put our most prized possessions, our children, in a place where there is no protection for them.”
In the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the school trained frequently on responding to an active shooter, spend tons of money on school safety, had its own police force to protect the schools, had the policy to keep all doors locked at all times, and still has over 20 children and adults get killed due to a violent person looking to cause as much damage as possible.
“There is no way that those babies should have been in a position where that could happen to them,” Ector said. “If we are going to do anything we must protect our kids.”
Ector saw a need to protect women as well. Ector’s company sponsors an annual event where he teaches women about gun safety so they can protect themselves from any threat that might approach them. Each year the program trains over 1,000 women about firearms. Prepares them to get their gun license and helps them pick the weapon that best suits their needs.
“Every year we offer women the chance to learn gun safety in a fun, relaxed environment, which helps them get comfortable with holding and operating a gun,” Ector said. “I saw a need for this, and it has exploded in popularity over the years.”
This year the LAID will hold its 11th Annual Free Women’s Shoot. The event is being held on Saturday, July 30th and 31st. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/3342345547585
Some may consider getting a gun too much, and others may agree with the concept. Either way things have changed forever and how you address them could mean life or death for you.
