Black People always had the right to own guns. However, the cost of the actual firearm and the requirements for a clean criminal record always got in the way.
During the 1960's, rifle toting Black Panthers always unnerved then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and at one time, even worried 36th President Lyndon B. Johnson.
I’m honestly not sure that most can recall with any degree of accuracy when a few Blacks armed themselves in the 1960’s.
Because I am certain that Joy Behar, although her heart might be in the right place, has no clue what she's talking about.
I included a photo that shows Black Panthers carrying rifles on the steps of the Washington State capitol building in Olympia, Wash., in 1969. They were protesting the lack of carry permits. Black Panthers actually walked the streets in a few cities carrying rifles and other firearms in those days. Until police confronted them.
This goes back to my original premise that when discussing this subject of arming Black people, one must always be specific. Is the firearm slated for Open Carry or Home Defense?
But few detail their true feelings. They usually trot out “Blacks need to arm ourselves,” or “We need guns,” without giving more than a cursory thought about the ramifications of such behavior. Yes, Blacks can arm themselves. But I would not walk around with a firearm unless one has an ironclad carry permit.
Philando Castile had a valid carry permit and look what happened to him. I bet others can cite additional victims.
Tyisha Shanee Miller was shot 12 times by Riverside, Calif., police after she fell asleep in her disabled car with a gun in her lap, likely for protection. Her family believes she might have passed out from a seizure on the day she died, Dec. 28, 1998.
Cops claimed they banged on the car windows with flashlights, screamed and tried to wake Tyisha when she suddenly grabbed the gun. She didn’t. The gun was never fired and a young 19-year old Black woman passed into eternity. Cops fired 23 bullets at Tyisha and she was hit 12 times, four times in the head.
This is why I discourage Open Carry for Black people. There are just too many cases where Black people lost their lives due to scaredy-cat cops who were too impatient to wait a few more minutes. Contrast this incident with the cowardly cops in Uvalde, Texas.
Now, would you believe that gun loving Blacks and Right Wing Whites actually got together to defend the Second Amendment? And they did this out in public?
After gazing at the photos, ask yourselves, do you think YOU could get away with doing the same thing with just a group of Blacks? The link will take one to this news story. The photo below is of the Black Panthers in 1969.
Armed Blacks and Right Wing Whites band together to defend the Second Amendment