Gun ownership on the left existed before American Independence.
The history of left-wing gun ownership in the United States is interlinked with the American Revolution, the fight for abolition, and the Civil Rights Movement. While the story we tell ourselves focuses on the nonviolent movement within progressivism, an armed progressive movement has existed since the earliest moments of American colonialism. From Bacon’s Rebellion to the Raid on Harpers Ferry to the Deacons For Defense and Justice, and the armed occupation of Wounded Knee, the history of America is the history of the armed left.
“Ironically, while the black presence in colonial America introduced a new set of restrictions concerning the English law of arms and the militia, it helped strengthen the view that the security of the state was best achieved through the arming of all free citizens.” - Robert J. Cottrol
A Selected Political History of Guns in America
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