Racist Targets Gun Show: ‘Official Runnin N***er Targets’ Sold At South Dakota Gun Show
A vendor was banned from a South Dakota gun show this week after selling shockingly racist targets that depicted a caricature of a black man under the words “Official Runnin’ N***er Target.”
The incident occurred at the Sioux Falls’ Collector’s Classic Gun Show, where the vendor had been charging just 10 cents each for the racist targets, according to KSFY-TV. When approached by a photographer for the station, the unidentified vendor responsible for the targets defended his merchandise, leading to a staggering exchange that was captured on video.
“Why aren’t they? They’re just targets,” the vendor said, when asked why they targets were on the table.
“Aren’t they offensive in nature?” the cameraman noted.
“To who?” the vendor queried. “Are you Negro? You know, there are some black people and then there some Negroes.”
“I sold 500 of them this weekend so what difference does it make,” the vendor added.
When gun show organizer Bob Campbell was informed of the racist targets, the vendor was immediately ejected, and banned from returning, according to the New York Daily News.
Gun Show Vendor Sold Racist Targets in Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Gun Show Vendor Sold… http://t.co/iab3mqABTh pic.twitter.com/2qgkAsrgIi
— Maha Putra (@mahaputra26) March 19, 2015
“I take pride in the work I do and the quality of the shows I put out,” Campbell asserted. “And I’m very disappointed, disgusted to see what was on that table.”
Campbell noted that the vendor likely hid the racist targets in order to bring them into the show. He told reporters that show organizers inspect all merchandise before it is allowed into the event, and that the targets weren’t known to them.
Earlier this year, Police in Miami Beach came under fire when it was revealed that they used mugshots of real-life African-American male suspects for target practice. As the Inquisitr previously reported, a Florida National Guard reservist found the targets at a shooting range, astonishingly discovering that one of the mugshots belonged to her brother. The practice sparked outrage from members of the local community, as some alleged that the targets could create a dangerous situation.
“And it has been ingrained in your subconscious; what does that mean when someone [police] comes across Woody or another person on the street, and their decision-making process on using deadly force or not?” Lawyer Andell Brown queried.
North Miami Beach Police Dept. using mugshots of African Americans for target practice reports @WillardNBC6: it.pic.twitter.com/wChOdvNcCn — Russ Ptacek, WUSA9 (@RussPtacek) January 15, 2015
When confronted with the photographer filming the racist targets at the gun show, the vendor was also recorded saying the station “might not wanna put that on TV.”
[Image via KSFY-TV]
