The more you know #ripmlk #martinlutherking #mlk #mlkday Repost from @raspy_rawls using @RepostRegramApp - Martin Luther King, Jr., even though known for peaceful resistance, at the same time recognized the importance of gun ownership for self-defense. King understood the risks involved in being an outspoken civil rights leader, living in Jim Crow era Alabama, and took measures to protect himself, his family and others around him. MLK was a gun owner. In fact, he had quite a few guns, so much so that visitors to the King family home during that time described King’s supply of weapons as an “armory.” William Worthy, a journalist who covered the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, reported that he almost sat on a loaded gun while visiting MLK. King had also applied for a concealed carry permit, but was turned down. Even though King’s house had just been bombed, his application for the concealed carry permit was still rejected. Few people in the US needed a permit to carry more than Reverend King did in 1956, but since the local police had some discretion in their decision making, King, who no doubt met the requirements of the law, was rejected nonetheless. This was the norm when the applicant was black. Many of MLK's followers felt as if their duty was to protect the movement, grab a rifle and drive away threats. They didn’t see any contradiction between saying they were part of the non-violent movement and keeping their weapons clean and ready. But we're fed that passive persona of MLK that's taught in schools and churches to keep us in that same mind frame, passive. #MLKOwnedGuns #AndHadShooters #TeachTheBabiesTheTruth #TheyllThankYouLater #YouGoneGetDisWork