The Ugly Racial History of Gun Control

[one-eyed fat man]

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/18/ed-thom18-ar-317019/

An interesting piece in the "Richmond Times-Dispatch", a history of gun-control laws, whose purpose was to stifle the rights of minorities and to prevent African-Americans from defending themselves against the likes of the Ku Klux Klan.

[Remmah2]

1. Good read.

One of the professors here at the university was a child during the Tulsa race riots of 1921. When the burning started his father brought out a lever action rifle ("assault" rifle of the era) and quickly evacuated his family.

[spin]

2. I notice you didn't get a lot of replies from those who oppose firearms ...

I guess they really don't like the truth that gun control has racist roots. It's very easy to ignore history when it doesn't agree with your preconceptions.

[citizen477]

3. Gun Control is Necessary... Sometimes

Many Ivy League institutions were funded by foundation money that wealthy families made directly from the slave trade, but that doesn't mean that I, as a Black man, won't try to get my children into those schools. Or maybe it does, I'm not sure. Lol.

The point I'm making is sometimes bad ideas have good motives and sometimes good ideas have bad motives. I still think partial gun control is necessary, despite the sordid racial history.

[oneshooter]

4. Describe to us, if you would

What "partial gun control" consists of.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[DissedByBush]

5. Gun control is necessary...always

Wouldn't want you to miss your target because you couldn't control your gun.

[spin]

6. I live in Florida and I consider the firearms law reasonable ...

You can review a quick and somewhat dirty summary of these laws here:

http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/p/gunlaws_fl.htm

What additional laws or changes would you suggest?

Note: this summary is slightly out of date. For an example, a concealed weapons permit is now valid for 7 years, not five.