What is with Black athletes carrying guns in the first place

By Gregory Moore

This past week I was watching First Take on ESPN and I caught Jemele Hill do a good job explaining cultural differences between professional athletes who are Black and non-Black and illustrate that a lot of the incidents with guns involving Black players is a microcasm of the Black on Black crime phenomenon.

I give Jemele credit. She held her own and did a pretty good job with the topic.

But you know what is really troubling and is something that nobody has really ever addressed?

Why are so many Black athletes carrying weapons to begin with.

I want to stay within the NFL community if possible because right now that seems to be where this story resides.

In preparation for this op/ed, I wanted to find out where the NFL stood on the topic of gun ownership. What I did was that I logged into the media side of NFL.com and found the league's guns and weapons policy.

In the policy's last two paragraphs it makes mention of a player's responsibility to understand the laws pertaining to ownership and the disciplinary sanctions that could come from breaking the law. The policy states: "If you legally possess a weapon, you must understand the local, state and federal laws that apply. The NFL Security Representative in your area will help you get information about these laws. You should be aware that if you take a weapon from one place to another—for example, across state lines—a different set of laws may apply in the new place. Discipline. If you violate this policy on guns and other weapons, you are subject to discipline, including suspension from playing. And if you violate a public law covering weapons—for example, possession of an unlicensed firearm—you are not only subject to discipline, including suspension from playing, but also subject to criminal prosecution."

The last line in the policy is something to take note. To the players and staff of the NFL it says, "Remember, be careful and understand the risks."

That last line is key because when it comes to player education, it's not something that is on the hierarchy of Black players to read these policies and heed their warnings where applicable.

Of course many will say that it is hard to tell a grown man what to do with his second amendment right and while no organization can forbid an individual from exercising that right, what they can do is make sure that all safety precautions are adhered to and that ample warnings of disciplinary measures are in "black and white".

So it is rather perplexing that there is this sentiment out there that believes that the NFL and/or the New York Giants was wrong in disciplining Plaxico Burress last week after he accidentally shot himself at a night club.

Once again the public is not privy to what the media knows about the rules, policies and regulations of the NFL and the public questions those policies because they fail to realize that you are dealing with a corporate enterprise; not some church or civic organization.

But what is also troubling is that there is a segment of the community that does not understand just how serious Burress' actions are to the whole.

Accidental shootings happen more often when there is alcohol involved than when the weapon is at home or locked away. Shootings, whether they are in self defense or done in a malicious intent, are very common outside of night clubs AFTER midnight than during any other time.

And what is also troubling is that many use the argument that players need to protect themselves because they are targets and that argument is used in the wrong context during general discussion.

PROTECTION AT HOME IS ONE THING; PROECTION IN PUBLIC IS 1-8-7

Nobody is saying that professional players should not be allowed to protect themselves.

If a player wants to protect his home, his property and his family, he can do so at his residence. Some players opt to have a firearm in the home and some players don't. In the case of Sean Taylor, Taylor didn't have a weapon to defend himself or his girlfriend and thusly he couldn't adequately defend himself from what became a lethal attack on himself that took his life later.

That is a reason why many players now have firearms at home now and that is a good reason.

But what is not a good reason is to take that firearm outside of the home and transport it to a place in public.

That is where I think both society and the players get the second amendment all mixed up.

That is why the NFL came out with their policy on gun ownership.

But in order to know the law, you have to read it.

You can pretty much make the assumption that pro athletes do not take the time to familiarize themselves with the laws and statues of where they reside during the season. They are quick to blame it on their hired help when in actuality it is the players' responsibility to know the laws of the land they reside in and then act accordingly.

And so when a player like Plax is arrested and his lawyer tells him to plead "not guilty", that is done because the player is ignorant of the law.

That's some pretty jacked up advice but it also shows exactly why players need to read these little league memos for themselves.

If Plax had read and understood New York City and New York state laws on gun ownership, he wouldn't have even had that gun with him.

The other side of the argument is that as a gun owner, it shows that Plax is not mature enough to own a weapon in the first place.

Far too many black athletes think that just having a gun means you're the coolest person on the block.

Gun ownership isn't some right but a privilege that requires a responsible individual.

When players start toting firearms to clubs, they are like everybody else out there who are bad gun owners.

Yes these players need to protect themselves but what they don't need to do is be involved in a gun play scenario in which they either shoot an innocent bystander or they become the victim.

No one is saying don't go out and party.

Just be aware of your surroundings and if you need protection, hire some off duty police officers because guess what, police officers ARE NEVER OFF DUTY.

That last bit of advice might just save you or family from grief and legal issues.