Gun Control:

Hi guys, something that I could not get off of my mind from our class discussions this week was the presence of guns in the image that the Black Panthers had build for themselves. It reminded me of a video that my cousin had shared on Facebook months ago about how gun control laws stem from the urge to control African Americans, so with some digging, I located the video and watched it again. Here is a link to the video if you all have six and a half minutes to spare: https://youtu.be/31ZoH5P6UIE

Gun control is a hot topic today and the topic is always brought up when another tragic mass shooting happens. These events are saddening and should not happen as they do, therefore gun control laws are suggested as a means to solve the problem. However, these ideas are only suggested and gather public attention when fear is placed upon white people. Their children’s schools and shopping centers are what are being threatened, so their lives are suddenly being affected. What no one takes notice of is the fact that black men are more likely to be victims of gun violence and only one percent of gun deaths occur from mass shootings, so why is this the only time that anyone opens their eyes to the problem? That is simply because the struggles that lower class black people have are completely ignored and the system is stacked against them.

This is something that goes all the way back to the Black Panthers, as the video I shared explains. California law prohibited open carry across the state, which was meant to target the Black Panthers, even though their message was not of violence, but a right to protection. Clearly, this shows that lawmakers felt threatened by this group, so they did what they could to protect themselves from this “threat” by taking away their rights. Gun laws have not ceased to hold back black people if they see the opportunity. For example, the video talks about gun laws that are meant to protect people if they shoot in self defense, but this law that is meant to protect people all of the sudden will slip away if the person being charged is of color. A recent example of this is Cyntoia Brown, who was originally given life in prison and tried as an adult at sixteen for shooting a man who solicited her after she was forced into prostitution. This was in 2004, and fifteen years later, she was finally released from prison. You can read more about her case here: https://www.wlky.com/article/cyntoia-brown-released-from-prison-after-spending-15-years-behind-bars-thanks-to-campaign-for-freedom/28631105

To conclude the point of the video, gun laws have been used as a way of controlling African Americans since the Black Panthers, and still no one seems to consider how to change things for those who are most manipulated by gun violence. Conversation is never started with African Americans in mind, and all they want is the right to protect themselves.