‘Even He Understood the Realities of Self-Defense’: NRA Commentator Uses Dr. King to Make Passionate Pro-Gun Argument

National Rifle Association (NRA) contributor Colion Noir invoked Martin Luther King Jr.'s application for a gun permit decades ago to deliver a passionate speech contending individuals should be allowed to own and use firearms for self defense.

“Dr. King was a non-violent man, but even he understood the realities of self-defense and protecting his home and his family in the face of life-threatening violence,” Noir said in the video.

[sharequote align="center"]"...[Dr. King] understood the realities of self-defense and protecting his home and his family..."[/sharequote]

“This is why he tried to apply for that gun permit when his house where his wife and daughter lived was fire bombed,” he continued. “When Dr. King was denied, he did the next best thing and surrounded himself with people with guns, which was evidenced by one of Dr. King’s advisers describing his home as an arsenal.”

Noir further suggested that he believes King would advocate today for the rights of families to keep guns in their households for protection.

“Personally, I’m a believer in Dr. King’s methods of addressing social injustices, which is why I don't think to ever go to my gun simply because someone cut me off in traffic or called me out of my name,” he said. “But in my heart based on Dr. King’s own actions, I don’t believe that Dr. King would ever advocate leaving a family, or anyone for that matter, defenseless in the face of violent life threatening danger.”

The suggestion, however, that King was an advocate for gun rights has come under some scrutiny. On Monday, left-leaning Salon published an article arguing that King's application for a gun-permit does not fully capture his final views on guns.

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