NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)– Joel Jones, who helps educate the community on gun safety through Stop the Violence Gun Buyback events hosted by the Hampton Roads Black Caucus, has his own story to tell.

Jones is a firearms instructor with Strong Arms Gun Club, which is a Hampton Roads Chapter of the National African American Gun Club, also provides concealed carry weapons safety classes for gun owners and their families.

“What I’m trying to do is hone in on the African American community where we’ve had an uptick in violence, but we’ve also had an uptick of firearms purchases,” said Jones.

The firearm industry trade association revealed that at least 5.4 million people purchased a firearm for the first time last year. In the first six months of 2021, nearly 87% of gun stores nationwide had an increase in African American women buying firearms, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

It’s a trend Jones says he’s also seen in his training courses.

“We talk about white supremacy, racism, and then there’s violence… What I found out is a lot of these women have purchased firearms they had for like a year or two, and never fired it,” explained Jones.

He says the key to curbing gun violence is education, not just with men, or women, but also children.

“I can go anywhere, any neighborhood, and find a gun. The criminals are not going to give up their guns. Taking guns away from the lawful abiding citizens is not the answer. But if we start young just like we teach our children about seat belt safety, stranger danger and all these other little things they grow up to look out for let’s start teaching our children about gun safety,” said Jones.

He says his goal is to have 1,000 women certified. If you’re interested in the classes he offers, click here to connect with him through Facebook or email.