Samantha Sorillo doesn't keep the fact that she is a proud gun owner to herself. She is an advocate for African Americans like her to become gun owners, and as Vice President of the Miami-based Black Arms Gun Club, she's been actively recruiting members of her community to do just that.
"African Americans have issues that other demographics cannot identify with, especially when it comes to firearms. Also being an African American woman, there are also issues that I identify with that other demographics cannot identify with," Sorillo said during a recent BBC News exclusive. “The media portrays African Americans, a lot of times, in a negative way. So it’s important that they see my face and others, to show that we’re training and responsible gun owners," she said.
Sorillo owns a Glock 43, a Canik 9mm, a sub-compact 9mm, and an AR-15 assault rifle. Hers is among the homes that constitute the 59 percent of African-American households a recent Pew Research Center study revealed to be pro-gun ownership.
And her group is one of the newer members of the self-identified civil rights organization, the National African-American Gun Association network. While less than half as many African American households own guns as white households do (19 percent to 41 percent), gun ownership remains on the rise for African Americans. In fact, since 2015 the NAAGA has grown from 800 members to a network of 20,000.
Sorillo says the Black Arms Gun Club is one where people from all backgrounds can come together and build relationships and knowledge based on gun safety.
