The tradition of arms for Black Americans has always been different. “Black codes” were implemented in many states, which were designed to keep Blacks from exercising their right to keep and bear arms. In Florida, for example, whites could enter Black-owned homes and search for weapons without a warrant. In Louisiana, Blacks could be stopped and searched for weapons at any time. If they refused to comply, they could be shot.

Over the years, even prominent Black leaders were denied their Second Amendment rights. In 1956, The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., was famously denied a concealed carry permit by the Sheriff’s Office in Montgomery, Alabama even after his home was fire-bombed. Sheriff’s officials found King “unsuitable,” for a carry permit. While King was famous for espousing non-violent political action, he was also a gun owner who believed in self-defense.

One of King’s contemporaries, Malcom X, was a strong Second Amendment supporter.