Colion Noir is an African American gun advocate and NRA
commentator. He started of his career doing a few YouTube videos on guns and
quickly became a sensation. Boasting over 200 videos and more then 150,000
subscribers to his page he is one of the most followed gun advocates on
YouTube. Recently in the past year he
has become an NRA spokesmen along as an aspiring lawyer.
Some quick things not on the videos
to think about is that in 1857 The Dred Scott decision was created, which
essentially banned African Americans from owning guns. Following the Civil War
African Americans in the South were subjugated to “Black Codes”, which was an
attempt to not allow them to own guns in order to keep them defenseless. Dr.
Martin Luther Jing Jr. even applied for a gun permit but was denied by Alabama
police.
In an interview with Glenn Beck,
Noir tells his story of his background growing up in a fairly bad neighborhood.
As a young child he was subjected to violence and almost kidnapped. In the
interview Glenn brings up why it is important as an African American to own a
gun. One thing that is highlighted is that Slaves do not own guns.
What I find interesting about all
of these videos is that Colion Noir, a man standing up for his rights and
freedoms, is persecuted for his beliefs. The surprising thing about it is that
it is mainly other African Americans who resent him calling him an “Uncle Tom”.
Also the fact that he has become an NRA member has caused a whole lot of flack
with people saying that it’s a ploy to strike fear into the African American
community to get them to buy more guns. Almost every anti gun group at some
point talks wrong about Noir like he isn’t even a person calling him “the
chosen vehicle” of the NRA. To me this is disturbing because he is receiving all
of this hate just on the fact that he is Black. What I see from Colion Noir is
a man who is standing up for his liberties that his ancestors fought many years
to gain and to own a gun is a true testament to freedom.
This is most certainly an interesting element within the larger debate over gun control. Those who resent Noir on racial grounds are themselves racist, in applying racial expectations and stereotypes to particular individuals.
ReplyDeleteNoir is certainly an respectable individual, without a doubt. There are very legitimate debates to have over gun control, which I believe that Noir is attempting to have. However, in many of his videos on youtube, Noir espouses the same NRA rhetoric that the American public is now quite familiar with: "liberals," like Diane Feinstein, want to ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines because they're "scary."
These arguments are valid, most certainly, to a point; yet I think Noir, as well as the NRA, can be criticized on his apparent reluctance listen to and understand arguments that promote gun laws (like universal background checks). His labeling of anyone who supports any kind of gun law as "anti-gun" is the equivalent of labeling anyone who does not support a woman's right to choose as "pro-life"--these terms simply do not reflect accurate positions, as nobody is "pro-death." The problem with the gun debate in this country is that nothing can be seen as black and white. Noir falls in to this trap countless times, and it is unfortunate.
Noir certainly plays an interesting role in the gun debate, and it is unfortunate that he is criticized as an "Uncle Tom" for simply stating his opinion as an American.
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ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add one more thing:
ReplyDeleteYou say in your post, "What I see from Colion Noir is a man who is standing up for his liberties that his ancestors fought many years to gain and to own a gun is a true testament to freedom." That is certainly one way to view Noir's position, without a doubt. However, I would urge you to accept those people who support gun-control legislation as freedom-loving Americans as well. Just because an someone does not support America's current gun laws, or an unregulated gun-utopia, does not make them any less of a freedom/liberty-loving American. These individuals most certainly appreciate the Constitution just as much as Noir, yet simply have a different position. The debate over gun-control cannot continue to be polarized in this fashion.
To dismiss every argument in favor of gun regulation as "anti-gun" is just as anti-democratic as dismissing every individual who supports a deregulation of guns as a fanatic. Democracy, at its core, is about compromise. Having polarized debates (that is, a debate with only two extreme sides), like Noir, do not contribute to the political process, but rather create polarization and stalemates throughout America. If these debates are going to continue, individuals like Noir (on both sides), will have to come to the center.