Final answer:
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) did not solely or initially form as a gun-control organization but as a secret society to reestablish white supremacy after the Civil War through terrorism and violence, including efforts to suppress the rights of African Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) began as a gun-control organization and that, before the Civil War, blacks were never allowed to own guns is partially true. While it is accurate that before the Civil War, enslaved African Americans were indeed prohibited from owning firearms, the KKK did not start primarily as a gun-control group. The organization was established in 1866 by Confederate veterans in Tennessee as a secret society. Its emergence aligns with a period of intense racial strife and the establishment of white supremacy following the Civil War. The KKK, along with other vigilante groups, did work to keep guns out of the hands of African Americans to maintain white control and prevent potential revolts.
Historical evidence shows that the KKK's activities included far more than gun-control efforts. The KKK engaged in terrorism, intimidation, and violence toward African Americans and those who supported their rights to enforce white dominance. Throughout its years of activity, particularly in the South during Reconstruction and thereafter, the KKK was notorious for its violent tactics which included lynching, murder, assault, and property destruction aimed at African Americans and their allies. The Klan was also part of a broader effort by white supremacists to suppress the newly won rights of African Americans, such as voting and education, through fear and violence.