‘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,â€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.â€
The petition cited a Dec. 20, 2016 CNN report, which points to a 2015 studyby researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The
study analyzed 42 other studies, and concluded that "relative to white
targets, participants were quicker to shoot armed black targets, slower
to not shoot unarmed Black targets and more likely to have a liberal
shooting threshold for Black targets.â€
The
Change.org petition called on the International Association of Law
Enforcement Firearms Instructors to ditch the traditional black
silhouette targets commonly used to train officers at police academies,
among other "instruction environments.â€