MLK Owned Weapons Despite Preaching Nonviolence

Black History Year

PushBlack

History

4.6 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2025

⏱️ 3 minutes

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Summary

In public, Martin Luther King Jr. was staunchly against firearms as a means of liberation. Privately, he owned weapons and hired armed security to protect himself and his family. Why the change?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	In public, Martin Luther King Jr. was staunchly against firearms as a means of liberation.
0:12.0	Privately, he owned weapons and hired armed security to protect himself and his family. Why the change? This is two-minute black history. What you didn't learn in school.
0:26.6	Fighting for liberation in this country is dangerous.
0:43.3	It takes bold leaders to speak out against injustice and even stronger ones to endure
0:50.3	all that comes with a pro-black platform.
0:53.3	As constant death threats were launched at Martin Luther
0:57.0	King, he did what many would consider uncharacteristic of him. Dr. King armed himself with
1:04.8	more than faith and dreams. He had an arsenal in his home. Despite preaching non-violence, King felt that being armed was the only way to protect his family.
1:17.6	The After King's House was bombed in 1956, he applied for a concealed carry permit.
1:39.3	However, he was rejected because he was black.
1:43.3	Though it was technically legal for black people to carry guns,
1:47.0	the system created wiggle room in laws to thwart black gun ownership.
1:52.0	King recognized this, and after a trip to India in 1959,
1:57.0	he decided to embrace nonviolence completely.
2:01.6	Sad to see that Martin Luther King had to go against his principles to peacefully fight for us.
2:09.6	Yet, he reminds us that personal sacrifice is crucial to liberation.
2:16.6	In order to move towards the future,
2:19.1	you've got to look to the past.
2:21.2	This has been Two-Minute Black History,
2:23.2	a podcast by Push Black.
2:25.1	If you enjoyed this episode and want to show your support,
2:28.0	please rate and subscribe to our podcast.
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