Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanganyika Daniel.
Tanganyika, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a Certified Firearms Instructor, Certified Glock Armorer and Marine Corps Veteran who did two tours in Iraq. I’m from “old Atlanta”, and graduated from Westlake High School. I was raised Jehovah’s Witness, plus I was a cheerleader, so no one really expected me to be on the path that I’m on right now. My path was very tricky. I ended up going to the military and when I got out, I was diagnosed with PTSD, insomnia, chronic back pain, and some other health issues as well. After I returned home I went to Georgia State University, and I was doing so well in school. I was excelling in all my classes but super stressed out. It felt like I was just thrust back into life right after my tours in Iraq. At the time all I ever wanted to be in life was a traveling neonatal nurse, so I’m staying late after hours. I’m going to all the tutoring sessions, and I’m doing all the things at Georgia State, and I ended up not getting into the nursing program. I was devastated! I didn’t have a plan B, so once I cried and shook myself off, I transferred my credits to film school, and I ended up graduating from the Art Institute of Washington. While I was there, I discovered that cannabis was really helping me because when I got back from Iraq, I suffered from insomnia really bad, and for two whole years I just didn’t sleep. I was killed in my sleep. I was drowned. I was beheaded etc. It was very violent. Then once I discovered cannabis, it really helped me sleep, so I decided once I graduated from film school that I was going to California, either to be in the cannabis industry or to be in the film industry. I ended up going to a cannabis conference, and my world changed. I found out scientific data about cannabis and how beneficial it was and how the plant really worked for all kinds of patients; especially veterans. I ended up becoming an international best-selling author, a public speaker, and a consultant in the cannabis space for about ten years.
Well, then I found a letter from the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearm Bureau) saying that you can’t be in the cannabis industry and in the firearms industry at the same time. This happened when the entire United States was in a racial uproar around 2020, and I just made a decision that my 2A rights were more important than what I was currently doing. Atlanta is where I’m from, and Georgia is a very pro 2A state, so I’ve been able to come home, thrive, and have amazing clients here. I’m in a unique space where I have the background to sufficiently teach about security, self-defense, and more on a level that anyone can understand in a time when it’s greatly needed. With this knowledge, I just want to be a resource to the communities that were negatively impacted by both industries.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road! Our people were so negatively affected by the war on drugs, so trying to talk to them about how beneficial this plant was, for me, was a challenge. It was definitely something that I couldn’t discuss with everyone and I couldn’t get everyone to understand. When I had to transition into the firearms industry even with Georgia being a pro 2A state, again, firearms negatively impacted our communities the most. If you get caught with cannabis you lose your right to have a firearms license, and if you have firearms you can’t be a cannabis patient. It’s just a very interesting cycle on how the two are correlated. The data, history, and statistics confirm that communities negatively affected in both industries were racially motivated as well. The first anti-2A laws were specifically for Black people, plus due to the racism, negative stigma with gangs, police brutality, suicide, or whatever, guns are just not viewed positively in our community. It’s always a struggle to get people to understand their Second Amendment rights, to understand situational awareness, personal safety, and how self-defense is part of self-care. Those things are a struggle to get people to understand who look like me especially in this climate with mass shootings, students coming to school with gun violence, and everything else that’s taking place in the United States right now. Also, the media only shows negative gun reports, but there are people every day that utilize firearms in a very safe and positive manner, or who use it for self-defense. If law-abiding citizens weren’t able to exercise their Second Amendment rights some of them wouldn’t be here to live to see another day, raise their children and take them to school. Firearms are the great equalizer for a reason, and criminals just don’t abide by the rules. If anything, we as a society should be stressing more training, more mental health screenings, and more laws protecting 2A citizens.
Social media has also been a challenge in both sectors as well. Over half the country is in a legalized state and yet educators are shadow banned on social media for consuming, showing, or teaching about this medicine. However, people can drink shots and do all types of liquor, alcohol, and beer and it’s not a problem. When it comes time to educate about firearms and how to safely handle one, how to purchase one, how to clean one, how to use one, how to properly and safely store one, etc we’re still being shadow banned on that side as well when we’re only trying to be helpful. We actually have the knowledge and the credentials to back up what we’re saying too, which adds insult to injury. Another challenge that I had is getting people to understand the different concepts I create and how my mind works. When I got into the firearms industry, I’d been doing events for years when I was in the cannabis industry, so the first thing that I wanted to do when I got into the firearms industry was a concealed carry fashion show. We successfully did it in 2021 and our next show is later this year for 2023. People didn’t understand the concept, but the thought behind it was that women would carry their firearms more if they knew how to style it if they knew how to conceal it if they knew where to put it if they knew how to practice with it, if they took it to the range more, and if they were more comfortable with it. I really have a high success rate of teaching people how to be more proficient with their firearm, especially their concealed carry, and how to be confident in wearing it and using it if necessary to save your life or the life of your loved one. It’s super important to get training and it’s been difficult trying to relay that message sometimes, but through publications like this, we can 100% close that learning gap.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tactical Tangerine?
Tactical Tangerine specializes in premier content, events, and trainings, and we cover everything from Conceal Carry classes to Workplace Violence Prevention workshops. Some of the services we offer are Intro To Gun Safety classes, first purchase consultations, range buddies, film safety officers, and more. What sets us apart from others is how we are able to edutain and enlighten our clients, on a grand level, about a very dark topic like firearms. We’re so proud of the students who walk away with an unparalleled amount of confidence once they push past their fears. We also have several events including the Concealed Carry Fashion Show on the calendar for the year 2023 with sponsorship decks already available, so if you’re interested in a partnership please contact us. Our founder is known for showing anyone how to conceal in any outfit. Lastly, our membership groups get access to monthly webinars, gun cleaning days, masterminds, and quarterly range days so it’s super important that you go to my website, www.tacticaltangerine.com to find out more information. You can follow me on IG and Youtube @tacticaltangerinedefense and TikTok @tacticaltangy
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We love collaborating with brands and businesses. We go live with our partners on social media all the time, so please reach out if you are interested and think it will be mutually beneficial. I am a radio personality for Power 108.9 so I’m always looking for guests to be on my show, so that would be another way to partner with our brand as well. Please check my calendar for availability because we have several events we would love to partner with other businesses with.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tacticaltangerine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tacticaltangerinedefense/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tacticaltangerine
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/tacticaltangerinedefense
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tacticaltangy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/tacticaltangerine
