John Keys became one of the millions of Americans to buy their first gun in March 2020. As an African American, he was part of the fastest-growing demographic to do so. Less than a year later, he’s part of another expanding group: new gun-rights activists. thereload.com/the-show-that-…
“Right at the height of all of the craziness is when I bought my first pistol and rifle,” Keys told The Reload. “It was the last gun show before they shut everything down.” thereload.com/the-show-that-…
Now Keys is co-hosting a show designed to reach out to other black Americans & show them what gun ownership can look like. Guns Out TV follows Keys & his co-host, Shermichael Singleton, around the US as they get training, review gear, & shoot exotic guns.
“The vast majority of new gun owners in 2020 were black people,” Keys told @TheReloadSite. “We felt we needed to step out. We just noticed that a lot of the content out there looks a certain way and appeals to a certain audience. We wanted to broaden that audience."
Keys' story shows the potential of new gun owners to impact American gun culture and politics. Singleton's story is equally interesting. He's a long-time gun owner and competitive shooter but paused his training to pursue a career in national politics.
Singleton worked on multiple Republican presidential election campaigns which culminated with his appointment as the youngest-ever deputy chief of staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Ben Carson.
Singleton was pushed out shortly afterward by President Donald Trump. He said he was grateful for the opportunity, though. And moving on opened up the chance for him to get back into the shooting sports and team up with Keys for Guns Out.
The pair saw quick success coupled with immediate adversity after Sinclair Broadcast Group picked up Guns Out on a D.C. affiliate but abruptly canceled the show after the Capitol Riot. They were devastated by the decision.
“We weren’t doing anything violent,” Singleton said. “We weren’t doing anything quote-unquote ‘thuggish’ as some people would probably describe black people with guns. We were trying to educate everyday black people who were buying guns and educate people in an entertaining way.”
The show could've ended there but the gun-owning community stepped up to back Keys and Singleton. And what seemed like a curse eventually turned into a blessing as a high-profile new streaming platform reached out to team up with them.
There are a lot more details in the full piece. If you want to know more about Keys, Singleton, Guns Out, and what platform season two of the show is premiering on, head over to @TheReloadSite. thereload.com/the-show-that-…

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More from @StephenGutowski

7 May
Yes, I'm watching that HBO show because of the Philly accents. My stepmom lives in Delco and is named Mair! How can I not watch??
Winslet's accent is pretty good so far. She leans a bit too hard into the oooos for a Delco accent but it's not bad overall. The show seems like a solid gritty murder drama so far. I'm down to watch the whole thing.
The show is called Mare of Easttown. It takes place in a made up town but it's pretty Delco from what I've seen so far.
Read 4 tweets
5 May
Leaked ATF Proposal a Game Changer for Gun Owners americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2021/…
"According to the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), the name of the proposed rule and the regulatory identifier number match a rule that was transmitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory affairs the third week of April."
"April Langwell, chief of ATF’s public affairs division, told America’s 1st Freedom, 'I cannot confirm, nor deny, the authenticity of the document, nor can I comment on internal communications or deliberations on potential or hypothetical rulemakings.'"
Read 4 tweets
4 May
Here's a breakdown of what happened in closing arguments of the NRA's bankruptcy trial thereload.com/bankruptcy-jud…
“This evidentiary record clearly and convincingly establishes that Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre has failed to provide the proper oversight,” Lisa Lambert, a lawyer for the United States Trustee, said during the NRA's bankruptcy trial. thereload.com/bankruptcy-jud…
“The uncontroverted testimony is that Mr. LaPierre is forward-facing and that he is a prolific fundraiser, the likes of which are difficult to replace,” NRA lawyers countered. thereload.com/bankruptcy-jud…
Read 4 tweets
3 May
Wow. The NRA has spent nearly $8 million on Bill Brewer's law firm and former top lobbyist Chris Cox's lawyers in the dispute over whether to pay Cox $2 million in severance.
The closing arguments in the NRA's bankruptcy trial are going on right now. This stat was brought up by the New York Attorney General's closing arguments on why the case should be dismissed. You can watch live here: us-courts.webex.com/webappng/sites…
The judge is deciding today whether the NRA can use bankruptcy to protect itself from the AG's attempt to dissolve it in New York court. I wrote about why the obvious answer is "no" but it may go the other way in the latest members' newsletter: thereload.com/members-newsle…
Read 7 tweets
29 Apr
Here's the question the judge in the NRA bankruptcy case said it all boils down to at the end of today's hearing: Image
Basically, can the NRA use bankruptcy as protection from New York Attorney General Letitia James's stated goal of dissolving the organization through litigation?
He has incorporated a key point that James's lawyers have hammered at quite a bit: the AG can't just order dissolution herself. A judge would have to sign off on it too.
Read 4 tweets
29 Apr
The NRA bankruptcy trial is back in session today. They're interviewing the NRA's outside auditing company today. You can watch here: txnb.uscourts.gov/sites/txnb/fil…
Wayne LaPierre is now testifying. He says he's feeling better than last time he testified because he's not on any medication this time.
Welp. We're running into the same problem as last time LaPierre testified. He keeps trying to add explanations to his answers that get struck. The judge has repeatedly told him to just answer the question.
Read 11 tweets

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