Gun sales to blacks, minorities surge after Trump win

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Since Donald Trump was elected president, hate crimes are on the rise, causing some minorities and members of the LGBT community to become more fearful. That fear has led to a surge in gun sales, merchants say.

Yolanda Scott is one of those people. Where she used to carry a crowbar in her purse, she will now be carrying a pistol.

“You feel that racists now feel like they can attack us just because the president is doing it,” one gun shop owner told NBC News.

Gun shop owners have said that they are seeing as many as four times more black and minority customers. Black gun groups say they have seen double the amount of attendees since Donald Trump was elected.

–Trump supporter goes on bizarre rant in the middle of a flight–

Since his stunning victory, more and more people seem to be willing to display their hatred openly, which is concerning for minorities from all walks of life.

“It’s best that I’m proactive,” is the way Scott sees it.

In October, there were 2.3 million FBI background checks for gun sales, which was an all-time record. Experts believe that November could be even bigger.

Earl Curtis, owner of two Blue Ridge Arsenal gun stores and shooting ranges in western Virginia, says he too has noticed an uptick in black and minority customers.

“They thought Trump won’t win,” he said. They are mostly “shell-shocked” first-time shooters who just want to be able to protect themselves against “race riots and being attacked by racists.”

Michael Cargill, who owns Central Texas Gun Works in Austin, says that he had all but given up on getting black customers in his training classes, but now he is seeing about 20 a month, along with Muslim, Hispanic, and LGBT patrons who are scared of what might happen to them if they can’t protect themselves.

Since the election, some people, like Scott, have been trying not to go out more than they have to for fear of what might happen to them. Scott says she fears being approached with a gun, and while she hopes a “few choice words that I learned from my grandfather” will be enough to save her, she is not taking any chances.

“I’m not the type of person who is afraid of my own shadow. I’m going to protect myself, whatever that means.”