I am still not making this up…
‘More paint and less hate’: Online petition calls for end to ‘black targets’ at shooting ranges
A new Change.org petition calls for the end of “human black targets” at shooting ranges, citing the disproportionate number of black individuals who are shot by trained shooters than white people.
“Young black men are three times more likely to be shot by trained shooters than their white peers,” the petition states, noting a “disturbing potential correlation” in that “the most popular target for shooters to learn to use their firearm is a black silhouette.”
I will start trying to take this correlation seriously in 3…2…1…nope. Sorry. I just can’t.
It is a little-known fact that traditional silhouette portraits of the late 18th century were actually an early example of cultural appropriation.
Would it help to point out that the folks more likely to be involved in activities resulting in their being shot are black?
We perform as we train, thus the use of realistic training aids.
I see this tempest in a teapot has reached you guys. A long time ago the use of black figure targets on ranges even for PPC and IPSC was deemed inappropriate in Canada. The work around was to use cardboard cutout targets with no color.
http://www.ipscalberta.com/uploads/images/Classic-target.png
There was a little grumbling but in the end life went one. On the plus side these targets are cheaper since you can use a template and make them from any cardboard box.
@MJR:
At the IPSC gun club that I frequent most, we buy targets in bulk. They are cut from sheet cardboard with a stamping die. The die has perforations for the scoring zones, so we save on printing costs, and avoid registration issues (where the printed ink doesn’t quite align right with the cut target).
The sheet cardboard is white on one side, standard cardboard brown on the other, so we simply reverse the target whenever we want a “no-shoot” target.
We have had complaints that we must be racist because we only try to shoot the “brown” targets, and try NOT to shoot the “white” targets – I kid you not.
“Hell, we just shoot cans around here!”
Zombie Taggart