The Racist Roots of Gun Control

Are gun control laws racist? The answer is yes, and deliberately so. Here in North Carolina, gun control was initially passed in the Jim Crow era and was applied to blacks, but not to whites (unless the Sheriff didn't like you.) I am happy to see that blacks are picking up on the fact, as is the case with Charing Ball writing in the Atlanta Post on June 29, 2011 in an article entitled Is Garry McCarthy Right When He Claims that Gun Laws are Racist. It's tough history, but it more blacks need to hear it.  The more blacks know about the history of gun control, and the intentions of those who passed it, the less likely they will be to accept gun control as legitimate.

It has been disconcerting to me that groups ostensibly speaking for the black community have often had as one of their platform positions a gun control agenda. Indeed, not only blacks, but others who supposedly stand for minorities and those less able to defend themselves or who may be targets such as feminist groups, homosexual activitists and Jewish groups are often on board with more gun control. Why?  Why are groups like Second Amendment Sisters, Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership, or the Pink Pistols somehow considered not quite...kosher?  Ultimately, guns should not be a partisan issue, or an issue at all.  Do we have an issue with chain saws?

The other problem with gun control is that it doesn't control guns.  Terrorists, and criminals will get guns in any case.  They will steal them, or buy them on the black market which amounts to the same thing.  Bonnie and Clyde raided a National Guard armory to obtain their Browning Automatic Rifles.  They didn't buy them through legal means.  So, adding to the burdens of gun ownership by those who obey laws does nothing to burden criminals and terrorists.

Personally, I think that the more concealed carrying by responsible citizens of any type, the safer we all will be.  Terrorists, and rampage shooters tend to attack soft targets, where people are not as likely to be armed.  Schools, churches and synogogs, shopping malls, have all been targets.  Strangely, military bases have also been targets, but again military bases are places where everyone is disarmed.  Do you think the planes used on 9/11 would have been hijacked if the terrorists thought that 50% of the people on board might be armed?  I don't.

Of course, I can imagine now the people who don't trust their fellow citizens to handle guns responsibly wringing their hands in horror.  "What if," they will say, "someone shot someone by mistake? Or, what if someone got into an argument over their luggage or their seat assignment?  The aisles would be running with blood."  It is the same as the argument that there would be blood in streets as people got into gun fights over parking spaces.  It has not happened.  I have personally been aced out of parking spaces on several occasions, and was not even tempted to draw my weapon.  Do you think you would?  Really?  You believe yourself to be of such a low character?  And you vote?