While this is still fresh in my mind, I’m going to write it down. But I need to tell you something first.

I’m a federal firearms dealer. I’ve been around guns my entire life. I own them, I repair them, I buy/sell them, and I shoot them a lot. I don’t hunt (or, you know, shoot people) but, nonetheless, guns are somewhat a part of my life.

I went to a gun show this morning before work with Matthew, one of the guys I work with. He had an Inland M1 carbine he was trying to sell, so we hopped in his truck and waited in line at the fairgrounds outside of the gun show for about 15 minutes before we were let it.

During this time, a (white) guy was going through the line with a petition to get an NRA member onto the Republican ballot in Virginia, asking people standing in line if they would sign. From beginning to end of the line, he asked every person to sign, except one. One person he walked right by (after looking directly at him and saying excuse me while walking through). That person was my co-worker, Matthew, who is a Black man. A Black man holding an unloaded gun, who apparently wasn’t worthy of endorsing an NRA member.

At which point Matthew turned to me and asked if I had seen what just happened. I replied by telling Matthew that at least they know who their voting base is.

Matthew, by the way, retired from the Marine Corps, has several grandchildren, and is overall a fairly conservative man. I’ve known him for 5-6 years and have worked with him 4-5 days a week for over a year.

I’ve never seen him look at somebody like that.

All of this is far less coincidental than I would like it to be.