One of the headlines on the front page of CBN News' Website reads "Some Black Leaders Oppose More Gun Control." However, a look at the actual article reveals that the headline is misleading. It should actually read "Black Conservatives Oppose More Gun Control," because the people quoted in the story are pretty much a who's-who of black conservatives.
African Americans are victims of gun violence more than any other group in America. But at the National Press Club in Washington Friday, a number of black community leaders and pastors said more gun control could actually be a bigger threat to the black community than guns.
They say what's needed are more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens.
One of the speakers was Niger Innis, with the Congress of Racial Equality. Two of his brothers were shot to death.
"They were murdered by criminals who didn't pay attention to gun laws," Innis said. "And they were murdered in communities, the south Bronx and Harlem, that had the strictest gun control laws."
Innis said probably the only thing that could have saved his brothers would have been good citizens with guns.
"Cops can't be everywhere at all times," Innis explained. "And the first line of defense often in these circumstances, particularly in these communities, are good people with guns, good people who can defend their communities and their family."
Innis, for those who don't know, is the son of Roy Innis, the man who turned what was once a leading civil rights group into a convenient shill for wingnuts who want to trot out a black leader. Plus, it should be noted that Innis
père is an NRA board member. So it's not surprising that Innis
fils channeled Wayne LaPierre here.
Innis fils pretty much set the tone, as all of the people quoted in the article spewed right-wing talking points. A sample of the more off-the-wall quotes:
- Veteran conservative activist Star Parker claimed that more gun control laws would actually hurt blacks because "blacks are the least-armed, least-protected and defended, and the most-assaulted citizens in our country." She also claimed that universal background checks brought back memories of Jim Crow and black codes.
- Ken Hutcherson, the anti-gay pastor from Seattle, claimed keeping guns out of schools was pretty much an open invitation for gunmen. "How many of you would put in front of your house a sign that says gun-free zone?" he asked.
- Kenn Blanchard, a former CIA firearms instructor now known as "the Black Man With a Gun," claimed that trusting the government to protect us from criminals was a recipe for disaster. He said that he tells any politician who claims he can protect his kids, "You cannot save your child."
Breathtaking, isn't it? Even by CBN's standards, this is embarrassing. Every bit of this can easily be refuted.