Will Pittsburgh’s Gun Control Laws Get More Black People Killed?

Want to talk about issues like these in person? Join CityLab in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, March 13, for a conversation on what it means to be protected in urban spaces. CityLab's Brentin Mock will interview writer Kiese Laymon, to be followed by a panel discussion with local leaders and journalists. Event is free, RSVP required.

By the end of 1975, the military conflict in Vietnam had ended and many black veterans returned to a Washington, D.C. that had been dubbed “Chocolate City” by the funk band Parliament. The label referenced D.C.’s confluence of a booming black population, an emerging black political leadership, and a growing quorum of successful black businesses. However, there had also been a (then) record 407 killings the year prior, with 60 percent of those attributed to guns, and the majority of the victims African Americans. These murder trends had been steadily building up since the early 1960s, leading Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein to call D.C. “Dodge City” in a news story headline.