6 Ways Gun Control Was Connected to Racism

There have always been debates in the United States over Second Amendment rights and the ownership of weapons. In most cases in American history, only select groups enjoyed that right, while others could not. Many rules affecting Black people were influenced by laws made after Nat Turner’s Rebellion in 1831. Here are a few instances throughout U.S. history where African-Americans were denied the right to bear arms. However, there are many more similar occurrences.

la-scenic-byways

In 1751, the French Black Code required Louisiana colonists to stop any Blacks, and beat “any Black person carrying any potential weapon, such as a cane.” At this time in history, enslaved or free Black people could not own weapons.

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the first U.S. official arrived in New Orleans to take charge of this new American territory. The planters wanted the existing free Black militia disarmed. The planters also wanted Blacks to not have positions of authority that required guns.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top