"He grew up and became a doctor, and these days, he heads to a shooting range in Maryland each week for target practice with his Smith & Wesson .380. Charles, who is Black, says he bought the handgun after the Trump administration did things that scared him, including arresting a foreign student who criticized her university's policy on Israel and handcuffing a U.S. senator who was forcibly removed from a Homeland Security news conference."
"Like most people who spoke with NPR for this story, he asked that his last name not be used for fear of retribution. Charles says he worries that some of President Trump's supporters may feel emboldened someday to target minorities like him and his family. "He could dispatch citizens or the government," Charles says. "I'm not saying that's what's going to happen. What I'm saying is none of this is out of the question any longer.""
Charles grew up in 1970s Brooklyn with a mother who forbade toy guns, and now practices weekly at a Maryland shooting range with a Smith & Wesson .380. He, who is Black, purchased the handgun after actions by the Trump administration that scared him, citing arrests and the handcuffing of a U.S. senator. He says the purchase is intended to protect himself and family amid fears of civil unrest and potential targeting by emboldened supporters. For decades gun ownership in America was predominantly white, rural and Republican, but that is changing. Membership in the Liberal Gun Club grew from 2,700 in November to 4,500.
Read at www.npr.org
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