The story's main conflict revolves around David's inner need to acquire power and respect, something that due to his economic status, he believes can only be acquired by the ownership of a gun.
Dave's also views his father, a physically powerful man, as something less than a man because he doesn't have a gun..... and because he is seemingly submissive to the white Hawkins. Wright suggests that in this atmosphere of racism, Dave will never have the ability to fully be a man unless he takes action to ensure it.
The Man Who Was Almost a Man