Hispanics Are Arming Themselves After the El Paso Shooting

Hispanics are arming themselves after the El Paso shooting. And they’re doing it in droves.

A report from the Daily Mail highlights how Hispanics are rushing to buy guns and attend concealed carry courses.

While politicians look to enact top-down solutions to tackle the issue of gun violence, citizens are responding differently. They know that the government will not always be there to protect them, so they are strapping up.

Thanks to Texas’s relatively lax concealed carry laws, many Hispanic residents of humbler means can carry handguns for self-defense without much hassle. Many Texan Hispanics are of Mexican origin, or recently migrated from Mexico, a country that is notorious for its strict gun control laws. The laws there make it virtually impossible for law-abiding citizens to arm themselves against the very real threat of drug cartels.

For many Mexicans living in America, it is a blessing to have a right to self-defense, a concept which is an incredibly regulated privilege back in their homeland. This would be a great opportunity for Second Amendment advocates making inroads with Hispanics who are concerned about their safety.

The Second Amendment is a color-blind concept. From African Americans defending themselves against white supremacist groups during the Jim Crow era to Korean store owners protecting their businesses from rioters during the Rodney King riots, the right to bear arms has served minorities well.

By enacting gun control legislation such as universal background checks, politicians only increase barriers to entry for minorities who desire to protect themselves and their families from criminals. If anything, events like El Paso show that minorities should be increasing their firearms ownership.

Politicians who claim to fight for minority interests, but advocate for further gun control are doing their constituents a disservice.

Not everyone can arm themselves, but giving people more options for self-defense never hurts. Instead of growing government, we should be looking at growing firearms ownership.