Racial Tensions in the U.S. Are Helping to Fuel a Rise in Black Gun Ownership

Luther Thompson never thought he’d be a gun owner. But in April, the 41-year-old obtained a concealed carry license and bought his first firearm—a $400 Smith & Wesson pistol—after feeling, for the first time, that he was not safe raising a family in the South as a Black man.

“Down here, it’s totally different,” he says. “They’re bold with their racism.