Progressives are once again using black Americans as political pawns to further an agenda that will only cause more harm to the black community. Rev. Al Sharpton recently chimed in on the Biden administration’s new Office of Gun Violence Prevention during an interview in which he claimed that a lack of gun control legislation is “arming bigots.” His comments come weeks after the racially-motivated shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, which took the lives of three black citizens.

Sharpton made the comments in an appearance on MSNBC in which the host brought up the new department, which will be headed by Vice President Kamala Harris, ostensibly to curb gun violence.

Sharpton lauded the move, touting Harris’ record as a prosecutor in California and the recent march on Washington in which gun violence was a central issue. He then highlighted that it is a “dangerous time” for young Americans and took a shot at people who favor gun rights.

“This is the most dangerous time, particularly for young people, that we've seen in American history. And yet you have almost a wall there of people saying, ‘No, we're not giving up our AR-15s. We're not giving up not even background checks.’

"We just had the hate killing in Jacksonville, Florida. This guy had an AR-15. So whether you want to look at it from advocating in terms of civil rights, advocating just on guns, it weighs in because people cannot do mass killings unless they have mass instruments. We're arming bigots. We're arming people that are not respectful of the United States citizen. All of these people are being armed by our lack of legislation.”

Al Sharpton on the lack of gun control:

"We are arming bigots, we are arming people that are not respectful of the United States citizens. All of these people are being armed by a lack of [gun] legislation.” pic.twitter.com/nvcHf3Cmfp

— Jeff Charles, An Awful Pundit🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) September 24, 2023

The statistics on gun violence reveal a stark reality – it disproportionately affects black Americans. The data shows that blacks are twice as likely as whites to be killed by firearms and 14 times more likely to be wounded. These disturbing figures underscore the urgency of addressing gun-related violence in black communities. However, Sharpton’s contention that more gun control is needed completely misses the point in a way that misleads the public on the issue.

The reality that folks like Sharpton would rather ignore is that stricter gun control measures would only further compound the problem of gun-related violence by leaving black Americans more vulnerable to violent criminals. Black-led community groups all over the country are working to develop community-specific solutions to curb violence – focusing on the systemic and root issues that lead to these tragedies. But disarming responsible black citizens, as well as others, is clearly not the answer.

Those committing crimes using firearms typically obtain their weapons illegally. One study showed that in eight out of ten cases, gun violence offenders were using guns that they were not allowed to own legally. In most cases, they used firearms that were owned by another person to commit these acts.

The question remains: Who stands to lose the most when strict gun laws are in effect? The answer is simple: Black Americans. Sharpton and other anti-gunners are essentially arguing to prevent black people from defending themselves against violent criminals – whether motivated by bigotry or something else. In the end, preventing black folks from defending themselves will only create more victims instead of saving lives.