Adam Winkler, a UCLA Professor of Law and
supporter of strict gun control has
an interesting article on Martin Luther King.
He notes that in his research, he has discovered that Dr. King's home was "an arsenal" and that in 1956, after his house was bombed, Dr. King applied for a permit to carry a concealed handgun under Alabama law (then a "may issue" state at the time). Not surprisingly, local police declined to issue one to Dr. King. even though he was a clergyman and receiving death threats daily.
Much like the current California laws on gun permits, if you weren't in with the right people, all the justification in the world couldn't get him a permit.
Winkler takes a shot at the NRA noting that the Alabama law was supported by the NRA at the time. What he neglects to mention is that the NRA also supported the shall-issue law that means Dr. King would not have been subject to the whims of local police.
However, I thought it was interesting for a number of reasons:
1. It shows that even a peaceful, non-violent man like Dr. King appreciated the need to protect himself and his family - using violence if necessary.
2. It shows how may-issue laws are often used unjustly to disarm targeted minorities.
3. It shows that CCW can play a positive role in our social structure and demonstrates the civil rights origins of the right to bear arms about as clearly as any story can.