October 7, 2026
Black Women In Atlanta Turn To Gun Clubs Amid Safety Concerns
Brown said the organization began seeing another increase in interest last year, with a disproportionate number of new members being Black women.
Black women in metro Atlanta are increasingly joining gun clubs and seeking firearms training as concerns about personal safety and the nation’s political climate fuel renewed interest in gun ownership, Capital B Atlanta reports.
Several Atlanta-area firearms organizations have reported increased membership and demand for training since 2024, particularly among Black women, the outlet says. The growth follows a post-pandemic slowdown after firearm ownership surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd.
Larry Brown, president of the Bass Reeves Gun Club, the founding chapter of the National African American Gun Association, said the organization has about 700 active members. Its Facebook membership has grown from roughly 200 to 300 people when Brown joined in 2017 to about 1,400.
Brown said the organization began seeing another increase in interest last year, with a disproportionate number of new members being Black women.
“I think it’s just the political climate. Uncertainty with where the country is going,” Brown told the outlet.
Interest is also growing at A Girl & A Gun’s Atlanta chapter. Chapter leader Daphne Enmon said the group, which is majority Black, has tripled in size over the past two years and is approaching 200 members.
“Women join every week, predominantly Black women,” Enmon said.
Gun sales among Black Americans have been rising for years. Black Americans accounted for 32% of new target shooters in a 2024 analysis from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade association.
For some women, the motivation goes beyond learning to shoot.
Kia Glenn, director of social media and marketing for the National African American Gun Association and leader of its Queens of Defense group, said members are increasingly interested in hunting, food cultivation, and other survival skills.
The trend comes as Georgia’s gun laws have also changed. In 2022, the state enacted a law allowing eligible gun owners to carry concealed firearms without obtaining a permit.
As interest grows, leaders of Black gun organizations say education remains central to their work. Groups such as Bass Reeves provide firearms training focused on developing responsible, knowledgeable gun owners.
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