More African-Americans appear to be taking an active interest in their right to bear arms since the election of President Donald Trump, gun club leaders and firearm sellers say.
A national African-American gun club has doubled its membership since Election Day, and gun sellers say they've noticed more black customers buying firearms.
At Stoddard's Range and Guns in Atlanta, one thunderous clap after another reverberates through the room, mixing with laughter and the smell of gunpowder. A group of men are bonding over a hobby they love. Moments later, their weapons empty and a stream of hot shell casings on the floor around them, each man holds up his target showing clusters of bullet holes.
They are members of the National African American Gun Association, a group that has added 9,000 members since Election Day, said Philip Smith, the group's national president. The group launched on Feb. 28, 2015, and added 4,285 members over the same time period the year before, between Nov. 2015 and Feb. 2016.
"I'd be lying to you if I said Donald Trump hasn't affected our numbers," Smith said. "They have jumped off the roof."
NAAGA now has more than 18,000 members in 24 chapters across the country...