Can Gun Control Advocates Ally With Black Lives Matter?

Politico reported Tuesday that top gun control advocates are hoping to make inroads with Black Lives Matter activists as a way to gather support for legislation that would reduce gun violence. It’s an interesting match-up that you might think would make for a natural alliance. But as Urban League president Marc Morial and others point out in the piece, the gun control movement is “too white”—and pretty clueless about how to talk about urban gun violence.

To remedy this, the gun control crowd has been participating in weekly calls with Black Lives Matter activists and taking talking points from The Center for American Progress on how to communicate gun control issues to black communities. The gun reform group needs the black activists to present a more formidable attack against the Goliath lobby of the National Rifle Association.