As a variety of forces seek to divide and conquer American gun owners, rising star Colion Noir is fast becoming a unifying voice in the fight for our freedom.

Noir is a YouTube sensation, practicing attorney, avid shooter and avowed defender of the Second Amendment.

It’s an impressive resumé, especially when you consider that shooting sports and gun issues weren’t a part of Noir’s middle-class Houston upbringing. In fact, he didn’t fire his first shot until he was in his twenties.

First Shots

“My best friend invited me to go with him to a range and shoot his 40 caliber Taurus,” he recalls. “I was initially apprehensive, if not a little scared. But the experience was exhilarating. It instantly sparked an interest in shooting.”

Pistols remain his favorite platform for recreational shooting and personal defense, with AR-style rifles a close second. He also relishes the breaks from reality trips to the range provide.

“Growing up in the city, I had no desire to venture outside the concrete jungle,” he says. “Getting into shooting and visiting rural ranges where I can hear myself think has helped me appreciate the great outdoors.”

Birth Of A Crusader

Noir says his newfound love of shooting also made him more aware of gun-control efforts, which in turn sparked a personal crusade to educate people about guns and protect the Second Amendment.

“When calls for gun bans threatened to take away something I loved, my passion for shooting turned political,” he explains. “It was only natural for me to stand up and defend it.”

Noir’s opening volley included shooting a YouTube video that tackled the gun issue head on.

“It got a pretty good reception, so I shot another one, then another one, and all of a sudden they went viral,” he says.

New Perspectives

For those familiar with Noir’s work, his success is easy to understand. Polite and well-spoken while at the same time hip and engaging, he blends real-world scenarios with legal insight and thought-provoking dialogue to fuel hard-hitting discussions on guns in America.

A self-described product of pop culture, Noir speaks to a younger audience than many gun rights advocates.

“My biggest goal is to serve as the Second Amendment rights sounding board for my generation,” he says. “Because right now we’ve been hijacked by the anti-gun, mainstream media. We need to step up.”

Make no mistake, however, Noir also connects with a broader audience, thanks in part to his candor, humor and ability to think on his feet. For this, he credits his legal training and a lifelong love of debate.

“Even before law school I loved to argue,” he laughs. “My friends and I would argue whether or not the sky was blue, just for the sake of it.”

By bringing together Americans from all age groups, races and walks of life, Noir hopes to mitigate the divide-and-conquer tactics of the anti-gun establishment and its media allies.

“The divisive, volatile programming of many major news organizations represents a systematic attempt to keep this country separated along artificial lines,” he says. “But if anything, the gun community is the most diverse group of Americans ever assembled toward a common purpose, because the concept of self-defense is universal. We all want to be able to protect our lives and those of our families.”

Noir is also quick to counter the media’s relentless attempts to cast gun owners in a negative light.

“They make the exceptions look like the rule,” he says, acknowledging that such misleading stereotypes initially skewed his own perception of gun owners.

“When I started shooting, I was nervous about running into a bunch of redneck racists,” he admits. “But I was pleasantly surprised. My experience to date has been overwhelmingly positive. The folks I’ve encountered are normal, welcoming people, no different than everyone else. They just happen to like guns.”

Arming With Answers

Fellow gun owners—many of whom struggle to put their own feelings into words—often use Noir’s eloquent arguments as ammunition. He’s happy to help arm the masses in such a manner, of course, and encourages everyone to join the fight.

As for how to best make their voices heard, Noir advises gun owners to do their homework before entering the arena.

“Do as much studying as you possibly can, so you have more to fall back on when you engage in these conversations than sound bites like, ‘gun control only affects people who obey the law,’” he offers.

Looking ahead, Noir hopes to one day compile a comprehensive book of compelling arguments gun owners can use in such discussions.

For now, however, he’s focused on engaging and enlightening people who know precious little about guns or civil rights—and in the process, bridge cultural divides to rally all Americans in the fight for the Second Amendment.