 Logo of Black Guns Matter | |
| Abbreviation | BGM |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2016 |
| Founder | Maj Toure |
| Purpose | Gun rights advocacy,firearm safety |
Black Guns Matter is an organization aimed at educatingAfrican Americans aboutgun culture in the United States, primarily around defendingSecond Amendment rights.[1] The organization is led byMaj Toure, who founded it in 2016.[2] Black Guns Matter has hosted workshops in multiple cities to teach the basics offirearm safety,U.S. gun laws, andconflict resolution.[3][4]
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In 2016, Toure founded Black Guns Matter to prevent people from being arrested on what he believed to be avoidable gun possession charges due to a lack of knowledge on how to legally purchase and carry firearms;[5] The organization takes its name from theBlack Lives Matter social movement, both sharing similar criticism of police brutality.[6] Toure has accused theBlack Lives Matter Global Network Foundation of being a "sham organization" and a "money-laundering scheme" for theDemocratic Party, and argued that it lackedfinancial transparency.[7]
In September 2019, Toure testified, representing Black Guns Matter before theU.S. House of Representatives, for a hearing on urbangun violence to argue that educating citizens on conflict resolution is more effective thangun control.[8] The organization attributes the high homicide rates in inner cities to a failure to de-escalate from violence and a lack of gun safety. Toure said that "more Black people would be alive if they were armed". He also argued that rates of police brutality may decrease when Black men carrying firearms are viewed as less of a threat by police.[2][9]
Toure argued that safety means armed self-defense and "all gun control is racist", pointing to the 1967Mulford Act signed by then-California governorRonald Reagan that banned open-carry in the state in reaction to the weaponizedBlack Panther Party.[2] Toure ran for a Philadelphia city council seat as a member of theLibertarian Party and spoke aboutSecond Amendment rights at events withconservative lawmakers;[2] he said that he was both using the conservative movement and being used by it.[5] In 2019, Toure cancelled his membership of theNational Rifle Association of America (NRA), saying that it was not doing enough for Black communities.[2] In 2021, Toure took part at theConservative Political Action Conference.[10]
