Pensacola News Journal by Kamal Morgan 2/24/2022
This Pensacola man wants to break the stigma around Black gun owners. How he's doing it:
One night in October 2016 as Paul Goldsmith Jr. was driving through the Brownsville area with his 4-year-old daughter, a deputy drove past his car, did a U-turn and pulled him over.
Goldsmith had a firearm in the car, but he had his concealed carry permit on him as well. He made sure to keep his hands on the steering wheel during the traffic stop, but his mind began racing when the deputy asked him about his identification.
To Goldsmith, the situation was frighteningly similar to that of Philando Castile, a man who was shot and killed in front of his girlfriend and 4-year-old daughter during a July 2016 traffic stop in Minnesota. Castile, a gunowner with a concealed carry permit, was shot while reaching for his wallet, according to his girlfriend, who recorded the aftermath of the incident. The officer later said he believed Castile was reaching for his gun.
When the officer finally asked if he had anything dangerous in the car, Goldsmith was terrified. Saying "yes" or "no" would have consequences, so he decided to tell the police officer about the weapon. The deputy went into "defense mode," pulled Goldsmith out of the car and detained him, Goldsmith said. Once deputies found out his record was clean and he had a concealed carry permit, they let him go. After that day, Goldsmith vowed to not have that happen to him again and shortly after became a certified National Rifle Association instructor.
Goldsmith is now the CEO of Legal Carry Inc., where he helps people from the Black community learn about gun safety and gun laws, and debunks misinformation about guns in general.
More:
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/pensacola/2022/02/24/florida-legal-carry-teaches-safety-laws-and-debunks-misinformation/6877977001/
