Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Discriminatory History Of Gun Control, David Babat

Senior Honors Projects

Gun control is an issue that has been ingrained in the societal conscious as a measure to reduce gun violence. Many people, however, are unaware of the discriminatory history on which this legislation is based. The earliest instances of gun control in America can be traced to laws instituted by Southern colonies which explicitly banned African Americans from owning firearms. White slave owners feared an armed uprising and sought to keep weapons away from blacks. This trend continued even after the Civil War. Less explicitly racist laws were enacted, but the goal remained the disarmament of African Americans.

The North …