Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

What if the Second Amendment isn’t really about guns at all?  

Historian Carol Anderson believes the right to bear arms was designed to keep Black people enslaved and powerless. Her new book, “The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America,” lays out the historical context for the Second Amendment’s passage. She builds the case that militias at the time of our country’s founding were primarily about protecting slavery, and that white supremacy is embedded into the bedrock of the right to bear arms.

, host Kerri Miller talked about soaring gun sales and gun violence. This Monday, she added to the conversation by talking with Anderson about the racial threads woven through gun rights in America.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: 

Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Social Issues

Conversations around race and racial justice

Shows

Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

Host

Author

In her new book, historian Carol Anderson says the Second Amendment is more about keeping guns away from Black people than enshrining a right to bear arms in the U.S. Constitution.

A fresh look at the intent of the Second Amendment

Go Deeper.

Like this?