by T-Dubb-O

So many instances throughout history can provide logic to the argument that the American Constitution only provides rights to white people. Freedom of speech? Not if you’re a Black Hip-Hop artist. You might get a RICO charge. Freedom to protest? Not if you’re protesting to raise awareness to issues impacting the Black community. You may be deemed a domestic terrorist, tear gassed, beat, and arrested. The right to bear arms? Black people? Absolutely not! Are you crazy?! This right is DEFINITELY not for you. Even if you go through the proper protocol and receive every license needed, the outcome is always the same. Philando Castile was murdered on July 6th, 2016, during a traffic stop by police officer Jeronimo Yanez. Mr. Castile informed the officer that he was legally carrying a registered and lawful firearm. The officer proceeded to shoot and kill Mr. Castile live on video. Alton Sterling was murdered July 5th 2016, by two police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mr. Sterling was unable to move and fully detained when one officer allegedly saw a gun in his pocket. This was enough for the officers to issue a death sentence. Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black boy, shot and killed by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann on November 22nd, 2014, for playing with a toy gun in a public park. The officer fired shots at Tamir drive-by style without fully leaving his vehicle or properly assessing the situation. All he assessed was Black with gun means TERMINATE.

           

Why is there such a stigma on Black people carrying firearms? This is not by accident at all. How many times have we witnessed white mass shooters be arrested peacefully after their heinous acts? Too many. How many Black names can we list that were gunned down by police whether unarmed or legally armed and not a threat? Too many! Many will dispute this evidence with the smoke and mirror influenced opinion about crime. Black people have been placed as the face of crime in this country. The media has set the tone to make it ok for us to be killed by police for any reason. They have set the tone that it is ok for us to have our constitutional rights violated in order to make sure we aren’t a criminal whenever a public servant deem it ok. According to the numbers, Black people are who police officers should fear the least. Most police officers who are shot are shot by white people. So, when white supremacists occupy land and take aim at police, why aren’t they shot or even arrested? When white insurgents storm the capital and assault staff, why aren’t they immediately arrested and treated with the same force as Black people? I think it’s pretty obvious at this point, but the rabbit hold may go deeper than you can imagine.

 

Missouri is one of the nation’s few states that have legal open carry. Missouri also is a stand your ground state. This means you no longer need a conceal carry license to lawfully conceal a firearm. During the Ferguson Rebellion, we saw the Oathkeepers come out and “assist” the police in “keeping order”. The Oathkeepers are a white supremacist organization who come to cities armed with handguns and assault rifles to counterprotest Black led protests. We didn’t see them pulled over and searched. We didn’t see the police run the numbers on their guns to make sure they were legal. We didn’t see police making sure they weren’t felons in possession of weapons. We saw police thanking them with handshakes. In the same breath, on September 11th, 2016, in the city of St. Louis, MO, 16-year-old Daryl Ross was chased by two white detectives and shot dead for urinating in an alley. Detectives described seeing a car full of Black men talking on a gas station parking lot. The men were armed. Which is not uncommon in an open carry state that has the highest murder rate in the nation. It’s not smart to be unarmed in this city. While they were watching that vehicle, another car pulled up. 16-year-old Daryl Ross got out of that vehicle and quickly greeted the other people who were already on the lot. After a short conversation, Daryl proceeded to the alley to urinate. While he was urinating two white detectives ran up on him with their weapons drawn. For no other reason than he was Black. The ultimate outcome was Daryl Ross was chased and murdered when he was never a threat to the officers. Another Black child murdered by the state, and activists along with liberal officials are completely silent about it. Do you know why? The first reason is because it’s not a trending hashtag, and the second reason is because he was said to have had a gun. Not that he shot at or shot police, but simply had one on him allegedly.

 

Let’s take it back to Philando Castile. The incident was caught on camera. He was killed while riding on the passenger side. His significant other cried in the background of the video as he bled to death in the seat. The activist community nor liberal elected officials made him a martyr as they did other Black people assassinated by police. I fully believe it was because he was armed. Activists in most cases work for organizations. Organizations that focus on liberal issues must collaborate and tap dance for donors as well as government. The Democratic party has preached gun control and gun restriction for decades. So to prevent from rubbing elected officials the wrong way, most organizations and activists totally ignore these victims who happen to be armed. It helps paint the narrative that if a Black person has a gun, maybe they deserved to die.

 

In some states, like California, the second amendment is barely recognized. However, how many famous Black people have become victims to gun violence in California while having some of the strictest gun laws in the country? Take a look at Illinois. In Chicago, the shootings are record and heart breaking at the same time. Again, some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Then we have St. Louis, MO. An open carry state, but this city always has one of if not the highest murder rates in the country. So, it’s not the laws that are preventing crime on either side. Gun control only makes it harder for those who are eligible to purchase a firearm to actually be able to get one. Majority of gun crimes that occur in the Black community, occur with an illegal weapon. This means the gun was purchased illegally on the street, in a pawn shop, in a backroom, in an alley, dropped off by crooked cops, built with spare parts, 3-D printed, or stolen. However, the narrative being pushed by orgs that are connected to liberal donors is that we desperately need gun control laws to stop crime. We saw the courage of this country’s police officers firsthand during the Uvalde, Texas shooting, and to be honest Black people can’t trust the police to show up and help them without killing someone innocent anyway. The best thing we have is the right to legally arm and protect our families along with ourselves, because it’s clear as a flawless vvs diamond that we cannot depend on the government to do it for us.

 

A couple things need to occur for the future generations of Black people. All rights in the constitution need to be upheld in regards to us, not just the rights you personally agree with. If the second amendment states we have the right to bear arms, and a Black person is carrying, they don’t deserve to be harassed, shot, or arrested simply because they are Black. Activists, organizations, and politicians need to fight for these victims with the same furiousness that they did for George Floyd and the many other hashtags that help raise millions of dollars for their budgets. Also, civilian oversight boards with subpoena power must be placed in cities to ensure these rights are not continued to be infringed upon. Lastly, to the same cops we see at the gun stores and the gun shows, the same rights that you so love to flaunt on your bumper sticker collection, you are sworn to defend for ALL citizens.