Kerby Anderson

When the Supreme Court reconvenes, the justices will consider another case involving the Second Amendment. As you might expect, legal briefs are being filed and various groups advocating for gun rights and gun control are promoting their views. Therefore, it shouldn’t be too surprising that someone is trying to argue that the Second Amendment is racist. What is surprising is the fact that this proponent is associated with the ACLU. I may have many disagreements with the policy positions of the ACLU, but I would expect the members would at least understand basic US history. As Charles Cooke explains in a recent commentary, “is not gun rights that have been historically associated with racism, but gun control — and to the extent that, up until about 1970, the two ideas were utterly inextricable in American life.” But don’t take his word for it. Just look at a few of the legal briefs that have been filed with the court in this case. For example, a brief filed by the National African American Gun Association reminds the court of US history. “During the colonial, founding, and early republic periods, slaves and even free blacks, particularly in the southern states, were either barred from carrying a firearm at all or were required to obtain a license to do so, which was subject to the discretion of a government official.” The brief then goes on to document how black Americans were systematically denied the right to own a gun. Charles Cooke also quotes another legal brief, which was filed by a progressive group that probably isn’t much of a supporter of the Second Amendment, but nevertheless was alarmed by the real-life consequences of this case the Supreme Court is considering. Some people may not like the concept of gun rights but calling the Second Amendment racist is historical revisionism and propaganda.