By Karise Crew, Founder of That Gun Talk Gun Club

Our journey to founding That Gun Talk Gun Club, started with one arrest and a fully loaded Glock with one in the chamber. I was going through TSA pre–check headed to Mexico at Philadelphia International Airport; the day before my 40th birthday.

As I gasped for air, my eyes bulged out of my head with tears forming upon looking at the x-ray in where the TSA worker pointed in my pocket book as clear as 20/20 vision could see. There sat a Glock 9mm my husband had given me two months prior with no training. He gave me just a basic layout of what to do and what not to do, and a firm, you better carry EVERY DAY. 

I figured it would be easy. My dad always had a gun sitting in his truck and hunts deer: I got this. I grew up with guns, and not to mention my mom handed me a gun at 13 and told me as I sat in the parking lot of a sketchy place to pull this trigger if anyone bothers you. And I shot down the range a few times…  

So…here we are 25 years later: my husband hands me my very own, first official gun, and now I am a Girl BOSS and no one better mess with me.  Well then Mrs. Boss: why am I sitting in a jail cell at the airport? 

My husband and I sat in disbelief, due to the fact that:  

#1 I have my license to carry, and

#2 I am not a criminal, and I did not mean to have my gun in my purse.

Can I get a slap on the wrist, and have our brother come and pick up the gun so we would be on our way to celebrate 40 years of life?  

That was the absolute wrong thinking. Our story made the news within one hour. As I sat in the cell at the airport waiting for the investigator to come, my husband made a few phone calls, and they were sharing how they saw on the local news that a woman was arrested at Philadelphia International airport for trying to take a fully loaded gun on her carry on.  

For four hours I sat and cried thinking about having to go to jail for the first time in my life and how it was my husband’s fault for making me carry a gun daily. And how now I was labeled a criminal and scared at the thought of going to jail for months.

I officially committed a crime and was about to do some serious time. The investigator entered the precinct, came to interview me and gave me my release papers. However, we still had to spend money on a lawyer, go to court twice, and go to a class to have my record expunged. 

At that class I met a guy named Tom who told me about the USCCA after I shared my story. My husband and I became members, and shortly thereafter, my husband, Jerel Crew became a USCCA certified trainer. Jerel has an affinity for exclusive firearms and he shares his passion for gun ownership with everyone he meets. He even has a YouTube channel to share his gun love.

As excited as he was to make sure people have firearms, it was really important that we could spread that excitement so our community could truly understand the power of firearms ownership and gain the education. So after much research and trying to figure out how we could help people not go through what I went through, I registered Jerel for Father’s Day to take a course to become a USCCA certified trainer. His lifelong friend, Lymuel found out and he also wanted to join.

That Gun Talk Firearms and Safety Training began, and we were now training people in our community. Several women were coming, and a plethora of African American people attended the meetings. I heard someone say NAAGA, and late that night I registered us to become members. I wanted to join a local chapter, but I was not able to get in touch with anyone here in Philadelphia after months of trying.

I reached out to any and every chapter president. Thanks to the Wonder Woman, LaShonda Henderson, a chapter president, I was referred to Mr.  Oliver Price. He called me immediately after I sent an email asking what I needed to do to start a chapter in Philadelphia. Within a few weeks, we officially became part of the ever-growing NAAGA family.

This has been such life-changing, inspirational, and incredible moments of Sankofa.  We have trained over 150 people in firearms and safety, and over 60 people joined our chapter in less than six months.  We will have four more instructors certified within two months, we sell concealed carry purses, and we are learning and growing together in arms. We are learning more about our history, finding ways to support our community and build up a strong NEST…NAAGA Strong!!