Go Ken!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36723-2003Sep6.html
washingtonpost.com
Md. Man Wants A .357 Magnum In Every Hand
By Courtland Milloy
Sunday, September 7, 2003; Page C01
Kenneth V. Blanchard is a firearms instructor and home safety expert who caters to a mostly African American clientele. He lives in Prince George's County and believes that he has a solution to the area's crime problems.
His Web site, www.BlackManWithAGun.com, shows him posing in front of a U.S. flag with the solution in his hands: a gun -- in this case, an H&K 9mm submachine gun.
"We can't make our neighborhoods safer with our heads in the sand and waiting for the 'Man' to protect us," Blanchard writes in a manifesto reminiscent of the old Black Panther Party. "I don't agree with the NAACP on gun control. We can't get different outcomes doing the same old things."
Last week, a tow truck driver named Glenn R. Ellis tried Blanchard's way. About 2 a.m. Wednesday, Ellis became a black man with a gun on a mission to stop the theft of his SUV. According to Prince George's police, the 37-year-old Laurel resident opened fire on four males -- two of whom were already in his SUV -- and hit the two who had not yet climbed in. One of them, a 15-year-old, was killed.
If you think Blanchard might be rethinking his gun-toting solution, think again. In the aftermath of what many are calling a tragedy for all involved, Blanchard is more convinced than ever that Ellis had the right idea.
"When a car thief gets shot and killed by a car owner, it sends a message," Blanchard said. "It slows down a lot of those people who've been conditioned to think that they can get away with anything."
Asked how he felt about the boy who was killed, he replied: "It's unfortunate, but why should criminals always get the sympathy? Frankly, I believe that what happened in Prince George's needs to happen a little bit more."
Blanchard, 41, was born in rural Virginia and moved to Prince George's when he was a child. An ex-Marine and former federal law enforcement officer, he started his mix of gun training, home safety analysis and campaigning against gun control in 1992 -- the height of the homicide and crack cocaine epidemics in the Washington area.
"There is no reason why we should be victims," Blanchard said. "When criminals learn that they have a chance of getting hurt before the cops come, a lot of this preying on the black community will stop."
Blanchard's views on guns apparently aren't shared by most African Americans. A recent poll by the National Opinion Research Center found that although fewer than half of whites favor government control of handguns, nearly 60 percent of blacks do.
Nevertheless, roughly 30 percent of both blacks and whites own guns, the survey found. Asked why they owned a gun, nearly half of whites said for hunting -- while nearly half of blacks said self-defense.
As Blanchard sees it, because of growing concern among blacks for their safety, the percentage is bound to increase.
"Lately, at a party or after a speech, someone will come up to me and say, 'What kind of gun would you carry if you were in such and such situation.' Or, 'How do you handle your guns in a home with children?' " he said. "I'm seeing more and more black people at gun shows, too, not necessarily buying, but showing some serious interest."
In recent weeks, D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey has declared a "crime emergency," while Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn Ivey has declared a crime "crisis." Homicides, sexual assaults, carjackings and burglaries -- among other crimes -- are on the rise.
Both law enforcement declarations call for more help from residents. Prince George's Police Chief Melvin C. High recently told The Washington Post that he wanted "a full partnership" in which "residents will do all that they need to do to be safer, and we will, on our side, do the things we need to do."
That was music to Blanchard's ears -- although it is unlikely that he and High would agree on what it means to be a partner.
"Having more elderly people walking around in orange hats won't cut it," Blanchard said. "Give me a six-inch, .357 magnum revolver. . . . Now that would be helpful."
E-mail: [email protected]
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36723-2003Sep6.html
washingtonpost.com
Md. Man Wants A .357 Magnum In Every Hand
By Courtland Milloy
Sunday, September 7, 2003; Page C01
Kenneth V. Blanchard is a firearms instructor and home safety expert who caters to a mostly African American clientele. He lives in Prince George's County and believes that he has a solution to the area's crime problems.
His Web site, www.BlackManWithAGun.com, shows him posing in front of a U.S. flag with the solution in his hands: a gun -- in this case, an H&K 9mm submachine gun.
"We can't make our neighborhoods safer with our heads in the sand and waiting for the 'Man' to protect us," Blanchard writes in a manifesto reminiscent of the old Black Panther Party. "I don't agree with the NAACP on gun control. We can't get different outcomes doing the same old things."
Last week, a tow truck driver named Glenn R. Ellis tried Blanchard's way. About 2 a.m. Wednesday, Ellis became a black man with a gun on a mission to stop the theft of his SUV. According to Prince George's police, the 37-year-old Laurel resident opened fire on four males -- two of whom were already in his SUV -- and hit the two who had not yet climbed in. One of them, a 15-year-old, was killed.
If you think Blanchard might be rethinking his gun-toting solution, think again. In the aftermath of what many are calling a tragedy for all involved, Blanchard is more convinced than ever that Ellis had the right idea.
"When a car thief gets shot and killed by a car owner, it sends a message," Blanchard said. "It slows down a lot of those people who've been conditioned to think that they can get away with anything."
Asked how he felt about the boy who was killed, he replied: "It's unfortunate, but why should criminals always get the sympathy? Frankly, I believe that what happened in Prince George's needs to happen a little bit more."
Blanchard, 41, was born in rural Virginia and moved to Prince George's when he was a child. An ex-Marine and former federal law enforcement officer, he started his mix of gun training, home safety analysis and campaigning against gun control in 1992 -- the height of the homicide and crack cocaine epidemics in the Washington area.
"There is no reason why we should be victims," Blanchard said. "When criminals learn that they have a chance of getting hurt before the cops come, a lot of this preying on the black community will stop."
Blanchard's views on guns apparently aren't shared by most African Americans. A recent poll by the National Opinion Research Center found that although fewer than half of whites favor government control of handguns, nearly 60 percent of blacks do.
Nevertheless, roughly 30 percent of both blacks and whites own guns, the survey found. Asked why they owned a gun, nearly half of whites said for hunting -- while nearly half of blacks said self-defense.
As Blanchard sees it, because of growing concern among blacks for their safety, the percentage is bound to increase.
"Lately, at a party or after a speech, someone will come up to me and say, 'What kind of gun would you carry if you were in such and such situation.' Or, 'How do you handle your guns in a home with children?' " he said. "I'm seeing more and more black people at gun shows, too, not necessarily buying, but showing some serious interest."
In recent weeks, D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey has declared a "crime emergency," while Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn Ivey has declared a crime "crisis." Homicides, sexual assaults, carjackings and burglaries -- among other crimes -- are on the rise.
Both law enforcement declarations call for more help from residents. Prince George's Police Chief Melvin C. High recently told The Washington Post that he wanted "a full partnership" in which "residents will do all that they need to do to be safer, and we will, on our side, do the things we need to do."
That was music to Blanchard's ears -- although it is unlikely that he and High would agree on what it means to be a partner.
"Having more elderly people walking around in orange hats won't cut it," Blanchard said. "Give me a six-inch, .357 magnum revolver. . . . Now that would be helpful."
E-mail: [email protected]
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
