Let’s file this one under “You love to see it.” Black Bostonians are demanding that Massachusetts start respecting their Second Amendment rights.
Those living in the city face difficult obstacles when it comes to obtaining concealed carry permits, which has prompted residents to demand a better, more streamlined process for those who wish to keep and bear arms.
Bostonians, who have long faced tough hurdles to secure gun licenses compared to suburban peers, are pressing state lawmakers to ease those restrictions as new gun reform legislation advances on Beacon Hill this season.
And, increasingly, the calls on behalf of expanding Second Amendment rights are coming from men and women of color who live in Dorchester and Mattapan.
State Rep. Russell Holmes, who represents parts of both neighborhoods, says he is paying attention to their calls.
“It’s a legal right they are asking for and I need to open my eyes to the fact that folks in my community feel their Second Amendment rights are being infringed upon,” said Holmes, who said he’s approached everywhere – even at church – about expanding gun rights.
His colleague in the Fifth Suffolk district, Rep. Chris Worrell, said he’s been fielding similar calls from constituents in other parts of Dorchester and Roxbury that he represents.
“Am I a gun person? No,” said Worrell. “I’m not a gun guy and don’t own a gun but there are a lot of people here in the neighborhood who want to exercise their Second Amendment rights and obtain a license and have not been able to.”
“People who are responsible are not committing the acts of gun violence we see here. People do want it legally,” he admits.
Holmes and Worrell indicated that they are receiving “unprecedented input” from Black and Brown residents who have complained about discriminatory policies aimed at making it harder for people to arm themselves.
To obtain a license in Boston, one must take a training class and earn a certificate. Then, they must pay a $100 fee to apply for a permit at their local police department. After this step is completed, the waiting game begins. The process for approving the application can take a few weeks to a few months.
There appears to have been a surge in the number of minority Americans seeking to obtain permits.
Brian Dalton, who owns the New England Firearms Academy in Woburn, trains people who are seeking permits in gun safety. He says he’s seen a surge in Boston residents— mainly Black and Brown people—seeking his services.
“I would say a good 50 percent coming to me now are females and people of color,” said Dalton, a former law enforcement officer. “We require live-fire sessions first before training if they don’t have firearm experience and I’d say about 80 percent are people of color with no experience with firearms, except maybe if they were in the military.”
Dalton also indicated that many of his clients are “frustrated” that the process for obtaining a permit is biased in favor of suburban residents. He explained that “For a long time, Boston wasn’t open at all for Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester people owning firearms and meanwhile their streets were lit up every night. “
Part of the increase occurred after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Bruen, which has been used to strike down several anti-gun laws. Concerns about crime and the political climate have also driven higher rates of gun ownership among minorities.
Darryl Smith, a Democratic Party organizer and co-founder of Boston Communities of Color, said gun ownership and equity is coming up more frequently – including at last month’s Ward 14 Democratic Caucus.
Smith says incidents involving white supremacist groups from outside the city— and the aggressive tone of the national political climate— are partly behind the shift.
Last summer, he said, numerous residents along Norwell Street and the Franklin Field area, and in Mattapan Square, reported a group of self-proclaimed “Nazis” arriving there to spray-paint graffiti and hateful slogans on houses, cars, and buildings.
“It’s not necessarily that people want a gun to go do X-Y-Z, but it’s people getting put in situations,” he said. “Who would have thought we would have Nazis in our neighborhood? Now you have to seriously think about how to protect your children and family.
“No one wants to be caught off guard and you have these people coming in our neighborhoods very boldly.”
What is happening in Boston is in line with national trends of Black and Brown Americans becoming gun owners. Given the racist history and current reality of the gun control lobby, this is a welcome sign.
