How Do Guns Affect Black Lives

How do guns affect black lives? Guns affect black lives because guns are one of the reasons why the Black Lives Matter movement started. The amount of gun violence is affecting the country’s African-American population more than any other race. African-Americans are thirteen percent of the overall United States population and represent 57 percent of the victims. A report was published in the BM7 last week and it revealed how in the United States deaths are twice as high among African-Americans than whites . So many African-Americans lose their lives because of people who own guns legally and illegally. People false their background checks or go to places where the background checks aren’t as strict as others. Like Benjamin Nathaniel

Smith, who viewed African Americans, Jews, and Asian people as “mud people” because of his religion. Smith didn’t have much luck on buying two handguns and a shotgun the first time because of his background checks. Later, he found an unlicensed seller who sold him two pistols without viewing his background check. On July 2, 1999 , Smith shot fire from his window in his car and left two people dead and eight wounded in Skokie, Illinois. He later committed suicide. Guns play a major role in creating an unsafe society for the African-American race. People tend to own guns because it gives them power and protection. Like Raphael’s family, who states that “ As citizens, it’s up to us to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. Our constitution provides us with the right and the method by which to achieve the objective, I choose to exercise that right.” Or like Bash from Pennsylvania who thinks guns are a good thing to have. The 2nd amendment gives people the right to own guns and just like Raphael, they take advantage of it and don't find it strange to own a couple of guns. The reality of guns is that they are the reasons for most of their problems like a three year old child who,accidentally shot his nine year old sister in the head. The children were at their grandparents house and the gun was owned by a family member that wasn't home at the time. People don't realize how dangerous guns are until a situation like this happens to them, a close relative or a close friend. People with the authority to use and own guns take abuse of that power. For example, police officers have killed African-Americans because they seemed like a “threat” to them. On August 9, 2014 , Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer, Darren Wilson. Brown stole from a Ferguson Market and was being chased by officer Wilson. Brown decided to stop and moved towards Wilson who then fired several shots.

There were no charges made against officer Wilson even with the suspects that claimed Michael Brown didn't do anything wrong . Police brutality has made black people take a stand and they formed the Black Lives Matter Movement.The Black Lives Matter movement started in 2012 after George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator for the gated community, shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Following Martin’s death protests, rallies, and marches were held all across the nation. The Black Lives Matter movement includes all the ways in which black lives are less powerful at the hands of the state, it is a call for action against brutality by police and vigilantes, people who take the law into their own hands by trying to catch or punish someone in their own way. Politicians are also trying to straighten gun laws to prevent homicides like Bernie Sanders. Sanders wants stricter background checks so guns won’t be in the wrong hands. He also wants to ban assault weapons to citizens that were made to kill people. I personally think this can help improve our nation because it will give people with a criminal history less chances of owning guns but it also gives a right to people without a criminal background to be able to own guns for their own

safety. Overall , guns are a major problem in our nation and it causes a lot of chaos, especially with African-Americans. We should all take a stand and call for changes against citizens of color and police brutality.