11. King Became An Ardent Supporter Of Passive Resistance... But Before This He Applied For A Gun In Order To Protect His Family
Although King would become one of the world's leading proponents of passive resistance after learning of Indian Civil Rights Movement leader Mahatma Gandhi's teachings, he did previously apply for a firearms permit in 1956. King's house was bombed by white supremacists and so he sent off an application for a concealed carry permit for Alabama in order to protect his family - and in particular his newborn first child Yolanda. Despite the fact that King was a black clergyman whose life was threatened on a daily basis, he was rejected. Later on in life, however, King decided he could not publicly support non-violent resistance if he privately adhered to personal self-defence - and so, allied with the fact his faith told him to abstain from using handheld weapons, he became an anti-gun supporter.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
