Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Conservative Antonia Okafor is a black woman who carries a handgun on the University of Texas-Dallas campus.
And some liberals don’t like it.
Okafar, a former liberal, felt unsafe when she left classes at night. The graduate student, sexually assaulted as a child, wrote in the New York Times that she dreaded walking to her car armed with only a “rape whistle.”
When I started advocating for concealed carry on campus, I was not a “gun enthusiast” or a member of any Second Amendment organizations. I had only recently been taught to shoot by a concerned local firearms instructor who had heard about a scare I had with a cyberstalker.
But from the minute I put my hands around a Ruger LC9 pistol, the gun I regularly carry with me now, I felt more in control. I felt empowered to be holding a tool that could protect me physically, and I was determined to learn how to use it responsibly. It was a relief to know that I could shoot if I had to, even though I would never use my gun unless it was a last means of self-defense. I got my concealed carry license a year ago.
…
Still, I regularly encounter liberals who fear irresponsible gun use and think that college kids (even if they are 21) can’t be trusted with firearms. I understand that fear is a powerful motivator on both sides of this issue. But I fiercely resent being told that I can’t protect myself according to my rights as an American. (emphasis added)
Gun grabbers are not fans of free, law-abiding individuals protecting themselves and others with handguns.
New project! https://t.co/nWTOtuB75C #2a #EmPOWERed pic.twitter.com/9AB4iuFxcD
— Antonia Okafor (@antonia_okafor) April 21, 2017
The Blaze posted some of the comments to Okafor’s Times op-ed
And wouldn’t you know Times readers took issue with Okafor’s stance?
“Yet another argument for guns that relies on emotions, not facts,” one reader commented. “You are not, statistically, safer with a gun … Guns pose an embarrassing public safety risk, exacerbated by concealed carry. Your argument lacks rigor. The Texas law in question is a travesty, and should be overturned as soon as possible.”
Another asked, “Why carry a gun instead of pepper spray, which will incapacitate an attacker but is not lethal and not a danger to innocent bystanders?”
“As a black person the author should be careful what she wishes for,” another commenter declared. “Just as with drugs, if things go wrong with a gun (and every day you can read articles that show very clearly that they do and will), blacks will be the first to be severely punished. Blacks continue to be stereotyped as violent, and she’s not helping.”
An Associated Press story featured a firearms instructor, a black woman, who said she was abused and sexually assaulted. “It’s important, especially for black women, to learn how to shoot. We need to learn how to defend ourselves.”
Who in their right mind would oppose that?
In related news, a federal court blocked the District of Columbia’s gun-control law that required residents who wanted to carry their handguns to show a “good reason.”
Photo credit: By Marcin Wichary from San Francisco, U.S.A. – Welcome to America, CC BY 2.0, Link
One problem with this logic: muggers/robbers don’t have to conceal their gun(s) and will usually “get the drop” on someone legally allowed to carry a weapon.
Pay little attention to the naysayers! Be a responsible gun carrier. Practice, & practice more. Also, realize sum attacker depends on suddenly “appearing at your elbow.” Have a plan that will enable your access to your firearm, if necessar!