(ThyBlackMan.com) It’s another year in the 21st century in America and one of the things that means is another year of mass shootings. Unlike other Western countries, America has this strong love-mild hate for firearms and among Black folks in the country this varies greatly. It’s even raised questions as to whether gun control is needed in the community.
America Loves Guns, Obviously
Before we dive too deeply into this, the answers to that question will always be “Maybe you need gun control but I’m good” or “We definitely need gun control. There’s a big problem here.” That’s just the constant split in opinion towards guns both within the Black community and the country as a whole.
I mean, the country was founded in violence and violence has been used to both expand the land and bolster the economy. It’s been that way well before 1776. The country’s history is tied to guns and over the years, a tool for self-defense—and offense, obviously—began to become revered.
The sledgehammers and drills which helped lay down the veins of the country—railroads—or the cranes that helped up pierce the skies—skyscrapers—don’t get nearly the same amount of love. Both of those keep the country moving and expand it. The gun: a very personal tool meant to protect your personal property and loved ones is a different animal.
It’s because it’s used to protect and defend that the gun earned its adoration and respect in the U.S. Soldiers aren’t overseas using sledgehammers, drills, and cranes to fight the enemy directly when fighting for and defending the country’s interests in these areas.
Hell, the sledgehammer and the drill ran into constant brick walls during the expansion out West in the late 19th century until the firearms showed up to regulate.
Is Gun Control Necessary Among African Americans?
This is the question. While the relationship of America and guns is known, the relationship of the Black community and guns is different. While the Black community in the U.S is varied across class, region, religion, education, and community—guns impact us all to different degrees.
Growing up, I remember my uncle owning a gun and maintaining it. He always did it safely on his room away from myself and my siblings. The guy even had a license plate that said “God Created All Men. Sam Colt Made Them Equal” with artwork of crossed revolvers.
While visiting Tallapoosa with my father on a mechanic run in 1996, I’ve saw a couple of houses with a welcoming sign in their windows that said “Trespassers Will be Shot. Survivors Will be Shot Again.” Of course, those houses were in the flyover portion of the South. Driving through those areas while Black is like extreme sports.
Once in fifth grade, a classmate had a shirt he’d gotten from a trip to Alamo that featured pistols. My teacher at the time who was really big on teaching history saw the shirt and said “Why does it have to be guns?” I didn’t gather what she meant at the time because I figured it was just a tourist shirt.
As I got older and learned that you listen to other people’s stories and experiences, it clicked that she probably had some experience with guns or gun violence in her life. Listening to my mother tell family stories about people I’m related to but never met, there’s violence there. Her father engaged in and died to gun violence in the same evening, an uncle of hers died as a result of family-related gun violence and a hospital with some racist policies at the time.
While guns weren’t always in the house and were gone by the time I reached middle school, guns weren’t unfamiliar to me as a child. Of course, my experience with guns in my youth is very different to many who were in close proximity of gun violence and gang violence—at times within the same community.
Our History with Guns is Tied to Gun Control
Our history with gun control is an interesting one. Black people were instrumental in getting gun control in the sense of open carry reinstated in California after the Black Panthers showed up armed in public during the late 1960s.
It’s funny in a way. Everyone was fine with walking around with firearms visible until the Panthers showed up going about their daily life with their guns casually—but safely—displayed. Mind you, this was at a time when Black folks were in a hostile country and it was necessary to be armed in public because our rights were being violated in public and the general public largely saw nothing wrong with it.
So, the Black Panthers exercised gun ownership in the purest sense of the Second Amendment. It was Americans defending their rights and those of people who resemble them from an oppressive force…which just so happened to be the municipal and state government.
Is Gun Control Needed in the Black Community?
Today, the discourse has an interesting but always tragic circumstance in a ridiculous amount of mass shootings both from gang violence, domestic terrorism, and people who shouldn’t have guns despite a number of restrictions getting them.
On the one hand, citizens having guns in public should prevent mass shootings when targets aren’t as soft. If anyone can get smoke why risk it unless that person really wants smoke. On the other hand, citizens just being armed in public comes off as the most parody version of the U.S. Plus the vetting process that would allow that has to be perfect.
It can’t be like when car manufacturers finally realized seatbelts should be standard after enough people wrapped themselves around light posts or performed tragic shot-by-shot reenactments of Red Pavement. We’ve dealt with gun violence for so long in the country that there should be no mistakes in implementation of the gun laws and any big incidents should be grounds to just revoke privileges—which these rights are: privileges.
As for if it’s needed in the Black community: it’s needed in America as a whole. Sure “What about gang violence in Chicago?!” is tossed out there as a reason for needing open carry but that’s similar to “the need” for open carry during the 1960s Civil Rights movement.
If anything, better gun education among Black people and higher-risk, zero tolerance gun policies for all Americans is necessary. The consequences of violating stricter policies should be reported on to where everyone can see and access it. It’s similar to how the death penalty would actually be a deterrent if executions were public but that’s obviously barbaric as hell and it’s the 2020s.
Ultimately, gun control is going to be only so effective with how entwined guns are with American culture and how much the country loves them despite some ill actors abusing the privilege in the extreme and having a Second Amendment that isn’t as evergreen as it is written as we all like to believe. It’s very much a product of its time. That time and the conditions it was written in are far removed from today.
Besides, implementation with gun violence in the Black community being a focal point takes the attention from these nationalist organizations stocking up on firearms and masturbating over some Red Dawn or second Civil War scenario they’re hoping for with open borderline and something full-blown violence against the government.
That’s very different but still more dangerous on a larger scale than the violence in our communities over territory, business, and revenge.
Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.
Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.
One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.