Gun control laws and racism: tools historically used to disempower US blacks, Irish & other minorities

black soldiers
Photo source: New American
Many good historical examples in this New American article hint at a plausible reason for us having such a great proliferation of guns in the United States and for open carry laws that are clearly meant to be used by whites but never blacks. Historical fact shows that American political authorities clearly never intended for blacks to be authorized to own or carry guns and over many decades, laws specifically barring ethnic minority individuals (like blacks, Irish and Scots) from ownership were put in place. When black people attained full citizenship and voting rights, the strategy of barring them from gun ownership didn’t work any more. Is that when whites changed to a strategy of stockpiling such huge arsenals of personal firearms that they can outgun all other owners? read more