Why More Liberals Are Buying Guns

I'm Ayesha Rasco, and this is a Sunday story from Up First where we go beyond the news of the day to bring you one big story. Five years ago, rioters stormed the US Capitol here in Washington to try to overturn the twenty twenty election. It was the largest demonstration of domestic political violence in modern memory. Since president Trump began his second term, some people fear more unrest. My colleague, Frank Langfitt, has been looking into how some people are responding to this fear, which led him to a gun range in Maryland to meet someone who goes every week. His name is Charles. This is a, a Smith and Wesson three eighty, and then my next my next gun will be a a Glock, and, I already have a shotgun. Charles bought his first gun in the last year. He showed Frank how he's practicing reloading his pistol. So this is a task I would stumble over. Uh-huh. And, you know, you wanna Putting the bullets in. Yeah. And you wanna kinda be comfortable with everything because the thought is that when there's an actual situation or event, you don't wanna be fumbled around. When we come back, NPR's roving national correspondent, This message comes from Capital One with the VentureX card. Earn unlimited double miles, a $300 annual Capital One travel credit, and access to airport lounges. Capital One, what's in your wallet? Terms apply. Details at capital1.com. This message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Glasses designed in house from premium materials starting at just $95 including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you. Support for this podcast and the following message come from strawberry.me. Be honest. Are you happy with your job? Are you stuck in a job you've outgrown or never wanted in the first place? Are your reasons for staying really just excuses for not leaving? Let a career coach from strawberry.me help you get unstuck. Discover the benefits of having a dedicated career coach in your corner and get 50% off your first coaching session at strawberry.me/npr. We're back with the Sunday story. Frank Langfitt, welcome to the program. Great to be here, Ayesha. So, Frank, what drew you to this topic and to Charles? Yeah. You know, Ayesha, for years, really decades, the the stereotypical image of American gun owners has been white, rural, and Republican. And Charles, he's none of those things. He's black, liberal, and lives in the suburbs. Charles did not buy guns for some of the typical reasons we usually think of, like hunting or self defense against random crime. Instead, he's bought guns because he's afraid of some of president Trump's policies and what some of his supporters might do. So what's Charles, like, specifically afraid of? He told me over Trump's second term, he's seen a lot of things that scared him. Go on. The arrest of a foreign student who criticized your university's policy …