After an early life filled with domestic violence and sexual assault, Marchelle Tigner has set a goal of teaching 1,000,000 women to shoot.
She began shooting when she joined the National Guard and has since been intent on helping women take the opportunity to protect themselves. Although she is training all women, she is especially interested in teaching women of color how to shoot.
"It's important, especially for black women, to learn how to shoot," Tigner said, noting that black women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence. "We need to learn how to defend ourselves." Marchelle had no reservations when she shared these insights during her interview with Lisa Marie Pane.
The Pew Research Center statistics indicate that 16% of "non-white" women own guns, whereas 25% of white women own one.
However, there is good news surrounding women of color exercising their gun rights. The rate appears to have drastically increased.
According to the article, statistics have shown black women being the fastest demographic group securing concealed carrying permits throughout the last 16 years.
What is also encouraging, is the increase in gun organization participation. Phillip Smith, the National African American Gun Association founder discussed the rapid increase in women as members of his organization. What started out as 300 members for a goal, has turned into an organization of 20,000. Which, according to him, has a great deal to do with women's interest in gun ownership.
"I thought it would be the brothers joining," Smith said.
But instead, he found something surprising — more black women joining, most of them expressing concerns about living either alone or as single parents and wanting to protect themselves and their homes." According to his words shared in the Kokomo Tribune.
It's organizations like Phillip Smith's and activists such as Marchelle Tigner that are giving women the opportunity they deserve: to exercise their gun rights to protect themselves and their families, as an American citizen.
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