The Mulford Act: When Ronald Reagan, Republicans, and Democrats Got Together to Take Black People’s Guns

The NRA got a piece of this action, too! All of them joined forces in California to repeal a law permitting the open carry of loaded firearms. The reason that Ronald Reagan was able to pass bipartisan legislation while Governor of California in 1967 was one of the most unifying concerns of white America. The fear of black men with guns.

It started in Oakland when the Black Panther Party began engaging in what would be called “Copwatching.” Armed Panther members, exercising their legal right to carry firearms openly, began observing the police while they carried out their duties, documenting misconduct and police brutality. One might reasonably ask, “Was there any evidence Oakland police were engaging in any activity worthy of being documented?” There are widely varying versions as to who was doing what during those years. What is not in dispute is that armed Black Panthers routinely followed patrol cars with both loaded weapons and the statute book governing police conduct. Passage of …