Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
There’s plenty of misinformation running around about Martin Luther King Jr. and his views on self defense and the 2nd Amendment. Anti-gunners often believe anyone who owns a firearm is inherently violent – even though firearms are inanimate objects, no more or less violent than a hammer or dinner plate. They take this belief and twist one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s quotes into an anti-gun campaign.
Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Anti-gunners will take this quote, and other quotes of his, and use them to push the anti-gun movement. However, this quote is specifically promoting non-violent protests as a means for social change. Dr. King actually applied for a firearm permit for self defense, but was ultimately denied his right to bear arms as the government viewed him and the Civil Rights movement as a threat. Remember, the roots of gun control have always originated in racism and disarming African Americans.
Self defense is not violence. Self defense is not aggression. Self defense is the preservation of one’s self and family. The right to self defense and the right to the best tools of self defense is one of our core rights as free men and women in America.
Colion Noir has some excellent words on Martin Luther King Jr.’s views on self defense and the 2nd Amendment. It is an old video from 2014, but a good one to re-watch on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Dr. King was a nonviolent man, but even he understood the realities of self-defense and protecting his home and his family in the face of life-threatening violence. This is why he tried to apply for that gun permit when the house where his wife and daughter lived was firebombed. When Dr. King was denied, he did the next best thing and surrounded himself with people with guns. Which was evidenced by one of Dr. King’s advisors describing his home as an “arsenal.” ~ Colion Noir
Written by Colion Noir for Locked Back ~ January 2020
