Bobby Seale

When researching political philosophies for the Black Panther Party, Huey Newton discovered an obscure California law (primarily for hunters) that allowed a person to carry a loaded shotgun or rifle providing that it was not concealed and was not pointed at another person. Because of alleged police brutality, the Black Panthers began to follow police patrols in black neighborhoods while carrying loaded weapons, claiming that they were acting in self defense.

When state legislator Donald Mulford proposed a law to make it illegal to carry loaded guns, the Panthers descended on the California statehouse in Sacramento dressed in black leather jackets, black berets, and fully armed with rifles and shotguns. As unbelievable as this seems in modern times, the Panthers were allowed in the legislative chambers. They later gave a news conference to state their positions on this and...