Club helps change narrative of Black gun ownership
Michel Joyce had been interested in obtaining her concealed-carry weapon (CCW) license for some time for self-protection. But as a Black woman, she was afraid of how she might be treated by the police.
“Being older, normally, they’re respectful to me,” said the 62-year-old northeast Columbus resident. “But knowing there could be a weapon, am I going to be thrown to the ground? That was my concern.”
Joyce was encouraged by her 30-year-old daughter, Jazmine, to finally take the leap in early August. The women attended “Sista Girl Let’s Shoot,” a CCW class for women, hosted by Onyx Gun Club at the Aimhi shooting range in New Albany.
Onyx is the only Columbus chapter of the National African American Gun Association, which encourages the Black community to exercise its Second Amendment right by promoting legal gun ownership and safety training.
The mother-daughter team and seven other Black women received eight hours of instruction — including target practice — and went home with their certificates.
“I wanted to be able to protect myself and my family,” Jazmine said. “I just feel empowered.”
Since its inception in 2015, the National African American Gun Association has grown to more than 30,000 members and 119 chapters. Best friends Thomas Cunningham and Christine Lowe formed the Onyx Gun Club in 2019. It now has more than 90 members.
With sponsorship provided by the National Skilled Trades network, Onyx offers classes, one-on-one instruction, gun events and social gatherings. Membership is $35 for singles and $65 for couples. It also raises money for Black organizations.
Cunningham, 52, of Reynoldsburg, said he was inspired to get involved after a trip to a gun range, where he was the only African American present.
“I wanted to get more of us active,” said Cunningham, a Nra-certified instructor, who stressed Onyx has no political affiliation. “(Black people) are afraid of owning a gun because their experience in our community has been so negative. … We’re trying to change that narrative.”
Cunningham said that there’s a stigma about gun ownership because violence in some Black communities is often associated with shootings.
“But those are not legal gun owners,” he said. “Our focus is the legal gun owner. … If we get more to own a firearm (legally) and do it in a safe manner, slowly that stigma in our community changes. And it’s already changed because last year, we got over 300 African Americans their CCW (license). This year, we’re on pace to do about 700.”
And classes are selling out quickly, he added.
According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, about 24% of African Americans own guns, compared to 36% of white people. About 39% of men own guns, compared to 22% of women.
National African American Gun Association president Philip Smith said in a 2019 interview that membership increased amid racial tensions following the 2016 presidential election. And, according to the organization’s website, 60% of members are women.
“Our women shoot better than the men,” Cunningham said of his local membership. “Men, with their egos, they think they know everything. Women pay (more) attention.”
Onyx also offers self-defense classes for women.
Shila Jackson, a 34-year-old single mother, enrolled in one of Onyx’s CCW classes so she could protect her 7-yearold daughter from threats in the Linden neighborhood.
“She’s blossoming more,” she said. “And in that area, they have a lot of predators out there.”
This summer in Columbus, shootings have been significantly higher than in the recent past, and they’ve happened in predominantly minority neighborhoods. It’s a complex but important issue for gun club members who are trying to promote responsible ownership.
For Cameron Cofield, 31, of Minerva Park, who owns a firearm instruction company, it comes down to safety.
More people properly locking up firearms and ammunition — separately — and making sure unauthorized users don’t have access, will help reduce the problem, said Cofield, also an Onyx member and instructor, who stressed he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the organization.
He doesn’t think stricter gun laws are necessarily the answer to curbing criminal behavior.
“People are able to do whatever they put their mind to,” he said. “What can we put in place to eliminate that? … Criminals don’t follow the laws to begin with.”
When African Americans do follow gun laws, they can still be subject to unfair treatment by law enforcement, Cofield said.
“(Seeing) a Black person with a firearm, people get uneasy,” he continued. “And so, when I have my classes, I let them know, if you’re ever in a situation where you’re told to show your firearm, you want to ask for backup. Ask for a sheriff or captain that can bear witness.”
He also tells his students to keep their hands on the steering wheel, and place their license, vehicle registration and CCW paperwork in their visor, so they are reaching up and not over if stopped by police.
Onyx meet-ups are not only educational, but social experiences. Cunningham said members range from ages 21 to 74, and he takes a group of seniors out to shoot and have coffee every other Monday. He enjoys the time, but can’t get used to the big guns that some of them own.
“I was like, ‘What’s the deal with the big, ‘Dirty Harry’ .357 Magnum?’” he said, laughing. Someone else brought in a Desert Eagle semi-automatic pistol.
“I shot that Desert Eagle and my shoulder still hurts,” he said.
Both the National African American Gun Association and Onyx Gun Club have a policy that people of all races are welcome to join.
“It doesn’t matter,” Cunningham said. “As long as you understand our focus is the African American community, by all means, come join us.” ethompson@dispatch.com @miss_ethompson