Would Dr. King Have Supported ‘Gun Appreciation Day’?

Some people celebrated King’s holiday by appreciating their right to bear arms.

Larry Ward, Chairman of Gun Appreciation Day, appeared on Al Sharpton's show and said that Martin Luther King Jr. would have approved of Gun Appreciation Day. He supported his assumption by pointing out the King once applied for and was denied a gun permit. Sharpton took apart his argument, attesting that King was later glad he had been turned down for the permit and said he would never carry a gun again.

Ward pushed the issue as a civil right. “Dr.King fought for equal opportunity, and we look at cities like Chicago and New York that have a majority of minorities in it right now and those cities themselves do not grant the same access the same equal opportunity that somebody in Texas would have to defend themselves.”

The two men appeared on MSNBC to also discuss Wards conclusion that “slavery would not have happened if slaves were armed.” Sharpton then pointed out that armed slave rebellions of the early 19^th century failed to liberate any slaves. By the end of the interview, Ward said he stands by his statements, seeming a bit indifferent to Sharpton's arguments. (Mediaite)

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Five Injured at Gun Appreciation Day Events

Thousands more protest stricter gun laws across the U.S.

Accidental shootings in Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina sent a total of five people to the hospital Saturday. As part of a Gun Appreciation Day promotion by a Republican consulting firm, people were encouraged to go to their local gun range, gun store or gun show as a protest to President Barack Obama’s gun restrictions. In Ohio, a 62-year-old man was shot in the arm when a friend accidentally discharged the gun he had just purchased from an attendee. Medina, Ohio Police Chief Patrick Berarducci told the Los Angeles Times that the gun show was so busy that police had to limit the number of people entering. In Indianapolis, a man shot his hand as he unloaded a .45-caliber semiautomatic and three people were injured at the Dixie Gun and Knife Show in Raleigh, N.C. when a 12-gauge shotgun accidently discharged.

As many people attended the shows and shops to show appreciation, separately, thousands rallied in state capitals across the country to protest stricter gun laws. (LA Times)

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