That's why we're talking to Aymann Ismail of Slate Magazine, who both experienced issues with his own gun application and interviewed many other minorities in the same situation. He said a Newark permitting official had withdrawn his first gun purchase permit application against his will over an old trespassing misdemeanor that shouldn't have disqualified him. It wasn't until later that he found he wasn't alone in having trouble getting a license.

One Ismail began talking to other minority gun owners in New Jersey he found out many of them had issues with the system. Whether it was long delays or outright denials for improper reasons, he said it was a recurring problem. Then he talked to an activist tracking the disparity between applicants who found there was a ten-to-one denial rate for black New Jersians compared to white ones, and that was for applicants without disqualifying records.

Ismail also discussed how he personally went from growing up afraid of guns in Newark to taking range trips with his brother to finally buying a Sig Sauer pistol. He talked about why he often feels uncomfortable and out of place in gun spaces as an arab muslim. But he aslo explained why he decided to buy a gun anyway, and where he thinks he'll go from here as a new gun owner.

Special Guest: Aymann Ismail.