Gun Ownership and the Black Community: A Complex History and a Call for Safety

Gun ownership in the United States is often cited as a constitutional right under the Second Amendment. However, I can hear many African-Americans saying, “Is it, though?” Truth be told, it’s a fair question. For much of America’s history, this right and amendment was not equally afforded to African Americans. During slavery, laws explicitly prohibited Black people, both free and enslaved, from owning firearms. Terrified that armed African Americans would use lethal force to challenge the barbaric institution of forced and uncompensated human servitude, until the Civil War, gun ownership was simply not an option.

During that conflict, Black men who fought for the Union Army were legally allowed to carry and use firearms. After the war ended, some Black soldiers were allowed to retain their firearms. The backlash to that decision was swift, and systemic barriers to gun ownership were put in place. Southern states, in particular, quickly enacted laws to strip them of their “right to bear arms.”  The Mississippi “Act to Regulate the Relation of Master and Apprentice Relative to Freedmen” (1865) prohibited Blacks from owning firearms, ammunition, and other weapons such as “dirks” (dagger) or Bowie knives. Similarly, Black Codes were passed in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina in the same year that enslaved people were freed, requiring them to surrender their firearms.

In the 20th century, systemic barriers persisted. During the Civil Rights Movement, groups like the Black Panthers, who advocated self-defense, faced intense scrutiny and were targeted by federal programs like COINTELPRO. Meanwhile, gun control laws were often selectively enforced, disproportionately disarming Black individuals while allowing white gun owners to remain armed. These historical injustices have contributed to a legacy where African Americans have had to fight not only for civil rights but also for the right to defend themselves.

Today, the United States has more than an estimated 393 million firearms. In a 2024 survey, the Pew Research Center provided some of our most recent data about. Specifically, about four-in-ten U.S. adults say they live in a household with a gun, including 32% who say they personally own one. In discussing the differences in gun ownership rates by political affiliation, gender, community type, and other factors, the survey yielded that 45% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents say they personally own a gun, compared with 20% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. In terms of gender, 40% of men say they own a gun, versus 25% of women. In reviewing geographical data, 47% of adults living in rural areas report owning a firearm, as do smaller shares of those who live in suburbs (30%) or urban areas (20%). Lastly, 38% of White Americans own a gun, compared with smaller shares of Black (24%),
Hispanic (20%), and Asian (10%) Americans.

I don’t think that the data surprises anyone, although there is an uptick in African-Americans deciding to own a gun. Whether the increase is due to angst behind increased social justice aggression, a federal administration that continually creates challenges for the personal safety of American citizens, or a need for self-empowerment, more Blacks are choosing to own a firearm. Ownership comes with a set of responsibilities that include education, safeguards, and maintenance.

I encourage advocates, on either side of the gun ownership issue, to attend “Behind the Gun,” a Milwaukee gun owner’s safety summit at Prince Hall Masonic Temple on Saturday, March 7th. This is a unique opportunity to learn, obtain relevant information, receive safety resources, and tackle the complex history of guns in our community and nation. We need a balanced approach that respects gun rights while prioritizing safety and community well-being. Our community must help drive this
conversation.