http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVTs-LzTxRI
I’ve been putting a lot of time and thought into the racial implications of U.S. gun laws. As you may know, American gun control legislation has its roots in the south, as a method for keeping blacks powerless and, originally, enslaved. Fast forward to today, and minority communities have the lowest rate of legal ownership in the United States. You could argue that this is precisely the group that needs legal guns the most; they live in the urban, high crime areas where the vast majority of [illegal] gun crimes are committed. Aside from the economic argument (restrictive gun laws and high licensing fees are especially prohibitive for low-income Americans), there may be a cultural aspect to their reticence. More specifically, they could be afraid—not without justification—that legal gun ownership puts them in mortal peril re: the police. A lawsuit in the Lone Star State—Shomari Staten v. The City of Carrollton Texas and Officer David Tatom—is bringing the issue to the fore.
