Angela Ross Williams, 67, in her living room on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 in Chicago. Angela says she needs her firearm because there is a lot of crime in Chicago which stems from a lack of housing, jobs and access to mental health facilities. Her husband does not prefer guns in the household but he respects her desire to defend herself. “There is a higher crime rate when people can not work and earn,” she said.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
This work is about my experiences living in Chicago, Illinois. A city that is often related to gun violence. When I look at the news I realized that I only saw people that looked like me around guns that were criminals, but people of other races were depicted as cowboys and farmers. I became curious as to why this injustice-inbalance existed. I set out to create a documentation of my unique experience and one that is rarely shown.
I am creating this archive to expand the image of Black American gun ownership. When we examine history, we see that when African Americans fight for gun rights, legislation is swiftly passed against it. In 1967, the Mulford Act was introduced to target members of the Black Panthers. The members had been conducting neighborhood armed patrols they said were meant to protect Black communities from police brutality.
I want to show how gun ownership, in urban communities are symptoms of bad policies and lack of resourcing rather than an obsession with guns. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence supports this claim. Its research concludes that the root cause of gun violence is poverty and lack of opportunity, among other factors.
"There is a higher crime rate when people cannot work and earn," says Chicago resident Angela Ross Williams. The 67-year-old became a gun owner out of necessity to protect herself from crime in the city. Angela says that she's experienced slow police response times, which has lowered her trust in local law enforcement to protect her against crime.
Angelique Marshall-Harris, 52, left, and her husband Costia Harris, 56, are seen on their living room couch on Monday, July 11, 2022 in Burnham, Illinois. The dynamics of their family changed once Costia was undergoing dialysis treatment. Angelique realized that her husband would have difficulty defending their house in the case of an intruder. ”I’m going to have his back,” she said.
Stephanie Riley, 38, inside of her home on Saturday, June 25, 2022 in Chicago. Riley is a firearm instructor with 10 years of experience. She was required to own a firearm through the capacity of her job but realized that she could use it for self protection.
Tiana Tucker, 41, inside of her mother’s home on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 in Chicago. Tucker is a conceal carry firearm instructor. “With the new wave of violence and crime its necessary to protect yourself,” Tucker said.
Chuck Chew, 36, sits on his bed with his firearm on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 in Chicago. Chew provides professional bodyguard services to clients who prefer him dressed in plain clothes in order to blend in to the community. “You look at a person like me and they think here is a thug and that is not the case,” Chew said.