It probably has something to do with the Civil War and Jim Crow; and I suspect its more about the latter than the former. No, its not about slavery, lots of countries had slavery and didn’t develop a gun culture. Its about expecting other people to do to you what you would do to them under similar circumstances.

Guns have always been a part of American life, a frontier society where guns were a tool, and where 19th century mass production techniques made them available to the masses at a modest price. But the gun culture per se, is something not only unique to America, but it has arisen primarily since the 1960s, the beginning of the end of Jim Crow.

And of course, where there’s a demand, a supplier will soon arise to meet it. And that industry will do whatever it takes, with marketing and politics, to ensure that demand continues indefinitely, and that it grows continuously. And once young black men started arming themselves, critical mass was achieved, the conditions were set for a self-reinforcing feedback cycle, a death spiral.

As always, follow the money.