An HBCU Student Goes To Class And Then TAhe Gun Range: Here’s Why

At Howard University, Cameron Taylor is learning how to shoot a gun.

Not for sport, but because he no longer feels safe ignoring the possibility that he might need to defend himself.

He makes the trip to Sharpshooters Indoor Range and Pro Shop, just outside Washington, D.C., in northern Virginia, where the air is sharp with gunpowder and shots echo in controlled bursts down narrow lanes. There, he practices stance, grip, control, and learns how to steady his hands and focus under pressure.

For Cameron, the range is about discipline and building a skill he hopes he never has to use but no longer feels comfortable ignoring.

“I don’t know at what point I’ll be racially profiled,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll be harassed just because of my skin color. I just want to be prepared,” he says.

Recent data suggests Cameron’s decision is part of a broader national shift. Surveys and industry reports show a rise in first-time gun ownership in the United States in recent years, with Black Americans making up a growing share of those new buyers. Researchers have found that many cite personal safety, racial violence, and political uncertainty as key reasons for purchasing firearms. In cities like Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, highly publicized enforcement actions, viral videos of arrests, and ongoing debates about policing and federal authority have contributed to a heightened sense of unease for some communities.

The university prohibits firearms on campus. This is a policy consistent with most colleges and universities. But for some students, that restriction hasn’t eased their concerns, it has reshaped their response. Instead of carrying weapons, they leave campus to learn how to use them. For these students, firearm training is not about aggression but preparation for racial profiling, unpredictable encounters with law enforcement, and a political climate that feels increasingly unstable.

That fear has been sharpened by events beyond campus. In Minneapolis, the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents have intensified debates about enforcement tactics and accountability. For some, those incidents underscore how quickly routine encounters can escalate, and how uncertain the boundaries of safety can feel.

Across the country, instructors report an increase in first-time buyers and trainees, many of them people of color. Aaron Moore, a firearms instructor at Sharpshooters, says more clients are arriving with the same concern that police may not always be present, or may not provide protection in the way they expect.

Within Black communities, this turn toward self-defense is not new. It reflects a long-standing reality that safety has often been uncertain and, at times, self-managed. What is different now is that college students are openly incorporating firearm training into how they think about personal safety. National surveys show that only a small share of college students, roughly 4%, report having a firearm on or near campus, and most say they prefer strict limits on guns in college spaces. 

Yet concern about safety remains high. Against that backdrop, some students are openly incorporating firearm training into how they think about personal safety, not as the norm, but as a response to a growing sense of uncertainty.

Still, not everyone sees this shift as a solution.

Some students argue that more guns can increase the risk of violence and create more instability, not less. They say real safety lies in policy reform, community investment, and systemic accountability, not individuals arming themselves.

“I believe violence only causes more violence. And if everyone had guns, it’d be a much more unsafe environment to live in,” says Howard student Ceres Shifrin.

That tension, between preparation and escalation, remains unresolved. But for some students like Cameron, the calculation feels immediate. The training happens off campus, but the fear does not.

Madison Maynard is a sophomore broadcast journalism major at Howard University. She hosts Time to Talk Politics on WHBC 96.3 HD3 and serves as the anchor of Spotlight Network’s Herd It All, where she is building her career as an aspiring political reporter. You can follow her on Instagram @44wethepeople. 

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