Racism has been discovered in yet another unsurprising place, this time at a gun show. A vendor at the Sioux Falls’ Collector’s Classic Gun Show shamelessly sold "official runnin' n*gger" targets depicting a man with large lips and an afro. When asked why the racist targets were on his table, he responded, "Why aren't there?" Further questioning revealed casual racism and a complete lack of remorse.
"You know, there are some black people, and then there are some Negroes," the vendor said. "I sold 500 of them this weekend so what difference does it make?"
Quite a bit of difference, actually. The fact that 500 of these horrible targets were sold tells us the vendor is far from the only racist gun enthusiast in Sioux Falls. And our news cycle is full of reminders of what happens when you arm people with a clear disdain for African Americans. Target practice with a racist caricature of a black man will reinforce the idea that black lives are dispensable.
Bob Campbell, the gun show's organizer, said he was "disgusted" by the targets and banned the vendor. He insists the targets were snuck into the gun show after he inspected the merchandise.
