Once again my job required me to go to a prison here in North Carolina. We’ve already discussed my disgust that getting into a prison involves less intrusive security than getting on an airplane. This was the same again today. Not that I really want a RapeScan or Blue Glove Love, but seriously, if what I went through is good enough to get into a prison, it should be good enough to get me on a plane to Albuquerque.
What made today’s trip interesting was the company. I spent a few hours wandering around doing whatever it is I do (my employer shall remain nameless) in the company of the maintenance tech, and me being me, we ended up talking. This particular prison seemed less friendly than others that I’ve been in. It pays to keep an eye out when you’re locked into a building with a bunch of people who have a proven track record of failing to adhere even to the low standards of morality currently in vogue. I told him that I’ve been watching the NatGeo TV program “Hard Time,” and I got to wondering why we bother with some of these people. He agreed. Then, of course, we started talking about guns.
A little background on the unnamed maintenance tech. He was older than me by about 10 years, but the most obvious difference between him and me is the color of our skins. He was black. Now in North Carolina, only about 6.5% of all Concealed Handgun Permits are issued to black people. There are likely several reasons for this, both cultural and economic, but the reality is that CHP holders are overwhelmingly white and male. My guide for the day was one of the rare black men with a CHP. And boy was he angry about the limits placed on him by the stupid laws in NC. He couldn’t have even one beer while he was carrying. He couldn’t go into a restaurant that serves beer while he was carrying. He couldn’t pick his grandkids up from school while he was carrying. He was hot about it.
One of the very best things about being a blogger, a blog commenter, or just a blog reader is that we have a sense of belonging to a group that is actually doing something. We are plugged in and aware of legal changes and opportunities for action. Without that connection to the latest info on gun laws, we are basically powerless to affect the laws that govern our lives. That’s where my guide was in life. He couldn’t carry where he wanted to carry. There were so many off limits areas that it was easier not to carry. And he couldn’t figure out how to change any of it. I’m not sure he even believed that there was a way to change it.
I gave him three things he could do to change the laws in this state for the better. #1 was that he needed to get the names of his State Representative and State Senator. Then he needed to get an appointment to see them, especially his Senator, and he needed to tell them that they needed to make some changes in NC gun laws, starting with HB111, the Restaurant and Park Carry bill. HB111 is currently in the Senate Judiciary II Committee, and will likely sit there until the short session next year. I explained that his Senator and Representative needed to see him face to face so that they realized that the person they were talking to was black. The part of the State that he lives in is heavily African-American, and so is generally represented by black representatives and is mostly Democrat. These Democrat Representatives and Senators need to see more black men and women who carry guns because the sad fact is that most times, when a Democrat Party politician hears “black man with a gun” he thinks ‘Gang Banger,’ not ‘Kenn Blanchard.’ They need to start seeing people like my guide so that they start to be concerned that anti-gun votes turn into electoral defeat.
The second thing I recommended was that he join Grass Roots North Carolina. Since GRNC is doing the heavy lifting, being part of GRNC means being part of the fight. You get updates about what laws are where in the legislative process, and you get a list of people that you can lobby to get those laws passed. An informed gunnie is an effective gunnie. An informed black man with a gun is much more effective in convincing his representatives to move the laws he wants moved.
And lastly, I recommended that he start reading my blog. It’s time he stopped being isolated. It’s time he started feeling like he’s part of a community of like minded people.
Oh, and the title of the post? We had to walk through the section of the prison that had cages for outdoor recreation for those prisoners on 23 hour a day lockdown. You know, the worst of the worst. They were forced to wear orange jumpsuits and were required to be handcuffed and chained any time they were out of their cells. When I walked past the cages, one, referring to me, told the other “that one looks gay AND crazy.” He can think I look gay all he wants. So long as he remembers that I also look crazy.
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I don't think you look crazy.... ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat post BTW!
I hope your guide does follow your advice, every little bit helps and the politicians need to know that "we the people" is all encompassing.
ReplyDelete