Over a lifetime the chances of being a victim of violent crime – and need of a gun for self defense – is on average .2 per 1000. The chances of being struck by lightening in a lifetime is 1.4 per 1000. So with 7 times more chance of getting zapped by God I expect everyone to buy and carry at all times a lightening rod and a pair of rubber boots before the Sun goes down.
Another set of numbers shows that African American have twice the chance of suffering a violent crime that white people. So all blacks should have a 9mm in their pocket and carry an assault rifle in hand, which is legal in 44 states. And what with African Americans have a higher poverty rate and a 9mm going for around $500 and a AR15 around $1500 perhaps it is time to subsidize weapon and ammo purchases for the African American community.
BTW, here in Texas we can only open carry loaded assault rifle with 100 round clips. No handguns showing. This being Texas what’s with that?
Well, the laws against open carry across the South were passed during reconstruction so local law enforcement could look past armed white people and throw any armed blacks in jail. That pretty much held until the civil rights movement when we began to actually apply the “equal protection” clause of the 14th Amendment. Though I do recall that when all those Black Panthers came out carrying rifles in a demonstration in California, that state passed gun control legislation faster than a New York minute.