First Freedom Read online

  lives of average soldier in, 65–66

  marksmen in, 54–63, 54

  and muskets, 40, 43–44, 47, 59–61, 63, 65, 66–70, 66

  prevalence of guns during, 47–48, 49, 52–53

  raising of militias during, 50

  role of guns/rifles in, 54–63, 65, 238–39

  and Second Amendment, 239–40, 245

  and self-defense, 35, 44–45

  shortages during, 34–35, 39, 40, 41, 68–69

  See also specific person or battle

  American Rifleman (NRA magazine), 231, 235

  ammunition, 3, 29, 41, 115, 122, 248. See also type of ammunition or specific model or type of weapon

  “Annihilator Mark I” (tommy gun), 191

  AR-10, Stoner’s, 218

  AR-15, Stoner’s, 218–20, 221, 224

  ArmaLite Corporation, 217, 218, 219, 224

  Armed Services Committee, U.S., 221

  armories

  centralized, 88–89

  See also specific armory

  Army, U.S.

  and assault rifles, 218, 219, 220, 221

  and Collier and Wheeler firearms, 98

  Colt’s relationship with, 102

  creation of standing, 88

  and Garand rifles, 201

  and Gatling guns, 163–64, 181

  M1803 rifle as official arm of, 89

  and Minié bullets, 117

  Operations Research Office for, 205

  and Ruger guns, 233

  sharpshooters in, 207

  and Spencer rifles, 127

  and “30 aught 6” cartridges, 203

  Thompson and, 191

  and tommy guns, 192, 197

  on Western frontier, 148–49

  See also military, U.S.; Ordnance Board/Department, U.S. Army; specific person, war, or battle

  Arnold, Benedict, 34, 60, 92

  arrows. See bows and arrows; crossbows

  Arrowsmith, George, 118

  Ashcroft, John, 244–45, 246

  assault weapons, 215–24, 243. See also specific weapon, war, or inventor

  Atkinson, Theodore Sr., 40

  atomic bombs, 207

  Austrian army, 91, 164

  Auto-Ordnance (Cleveland, Ohio), Thompson’s, 191, 194, 197–98, 233

  automatic weapons

  air gun as precursor of, 91

  and arms race, 2

  benefits of, 167

  and civilians, 242

  cost of, 192

  development of, 190

  and gun control laws, 242

  impact on warfare of, 167

  machine guns as, 181

  pistols as, 192

  rifles as, 180, 184, 191

  shotguns as, 179–80

  and World War I, 184

  See also specific weapon or inventor

  background checks, 242, 243, 248

  Ballew, Kenyon, 232

  Barnard, Henry, 105

  barrels, gun, 29, 121. See also specific weapon

  bayonets, 63, 93, 182

  Bean, Judge Roy, 112

  Beecher, Henry Ward, 145–46

  Beer Wars (1920), 193

  Belleau Wood, Battle at, 211

  Bellesiles, Michael A., 47

  Belloc, Hilaire, 166

  Bennett, T. G., 177, 179–80

  Berdan, Hiram, 128–29, 209

  Bill of Rights, American, 71–79, 239. See also specific amendment

  Bill of Rights, English, 45, 73–74

  Billinghurst-Requa battery gun, 161–62

  Billinghurst, William, 161

  Billings, Charles, 105

  Billy the Kid (Henry McCarty), 137

  Black Hawk War, 93

  black powder. See gunpowder: black

  blacks: and gun ownership, 239, 241–42

  blacksmiths, 68

  Blackstone, William, 73–74, 76

  Blakeslee (Erastus) cartridge box, 125

  Blish, John Bell, 191

  “Blish lock,” 191, 198

  Blue Licks, Battle at (1782), 86

  blunderbusses, 84

  Boitnott, John E., 213

  bolt-action rifles, 203

  bombs, incendiary, 4

  Bonnie and Clyde, 196

  Boone, Daniel, 81, 83, 83, 85–86, 88

  Boorstin, Daniel J., 20, 103–4

  Booth, John Wilkes, 139

  Boston, Massachusetts: and American Revolution, 31–34, 35, 42, 44, 45–46, 50, 51, 52, 57, 58, 77

  bottleneck cartridge, 203

  Bourgeoys, Marin and Jean le, 23

  bows and arrows, 2, 3–4, 6, 11–12, 14, 17, 19, 29. See also crossbows

  Boxer Rebellion, 181

  Braddock, Edward, 45, 46, 56, 85

  Bradford, William, 18

  Brady (James) Bill (1993), 242–43

  Brattle, William, 33

  breech-loading weapons, 92–94, 121, 126–31, 139, 146, 158, 176, 209. See also specific weapon

  Breed’s Hill, Battle of, 34, 49

  Britain/England

  and “American System” of manufacturing, 119

  breech-loading guns in, 126

  and Browning weapons, 187

  civil defense in, 20

  and Collier and Wheeler firearms, 98

  and Colt firearms, 111–12

  confiscation of American guns by, 44–45, 46–47, 50, 52, 240

  and debate about American Bill of Rights, 72–74

  and development of flintlock muskets, 23–24, 66–68

  gun ownership in, 73

  hunting in, 24

  and Indian warfare, 14

  and Lend-Lease Act, 202

  limits on use of guns in, 24

  and machine guns, 164, 190–91, 198

  and Maxim guns, 170

  medieval, 5, 6

  muskets in, 4

  and muskets in European wars, 23

  and paper cylinders, 115

  populist revolt in, 7

  and semiautomatic rifles, 203

  sharpshooters in, 209

  sixteenth and seventeenth century weapons in, 3–4

  and Springfield armory visit by British, 126

  and tommy guns, 198

  and Vickers machine guns, 171

  See also American Revolution; specific person, war, or battle

  “Brown Bess” muskets, 66–68, 69, 70

  Brown, John, 89, 146

  Brown, Orlando A., 147

  Browning, John M., 173, 174, 175–88, 200, 224, 238

  Browning, Jonathan, 174–76

  Browning, Matthew, 184

  Browning, Val, 173, 187–88

  Browning weapons

  as automatic weapons, 173, 179–81, 184, 190, 196

  as breech-loading weapons, 176

  and British, 187

  of Colt-Browning, 183, 184, 185, 186

  and Europe, 184–85

  M1918 Automatic Rifle (BAR), 173, 184, 196

  machine guns as, 179, 181, 183, 186–87, 214

  Machine Rifle “potato digger” as, 183

  rifles as, 176–77, 196, 201, 203, 205

  semiautomatic pistols as, 174, 184, 185–86, 187–88

  shotguns as, 179–80

  and warfare, 190

  weight of, 190

  Browning weapons (cont.)

  in World War II, 187

  See also specific weapon or type of weapon

  Bruce, Robert V., 126, 127

  Buel, James W., 136

  buffalo, 87, 144–47, 150

  Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, 143, 149, 150–51, 152

  bullets

  cylindrical, 115–17

  development of, 114–18

  Minié, 116–17, 209

  “Rocket Balls” as, 117–18

  Bunker Hill, Battle of, 34

  Buntline, Ned (Edward Zane Carroll Judson Sr.), 149–50

  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, U.S. (ATF), 232, 237, 242

  Burger, Warren, 244

  Burgoyne, John, 54,
55, 59–61

  Burnside, Ambrose, 210

  Burton, James H., 117

  Bushmaster Corporation, 224

  Butler, Benjamin, 162–64

  Butler, Frank, 151, 152

  Byzantines, 35

  Cagney, James, 195

  Cakhvell, John, 96

  Camp Dubois: Corps of Discovery at, 83–84

  Camp Lejeune (North Carolina): sharpshooter training at, 212

  cannons, 2, 4, 5–7, 12, 20, 37, 40, 84

  Canton, Massachusetts: gunpowder plant in, 38

  Capone, Al, 189, 193–94

  Carten, Frederick, 219

  cartridges

  all-in-one, 137

  bottleneck, 203

  “center-fire,” 122

  and development of breech-loading guns, 126

  early, 114–18

  metallic, 114–17, 130

  paper, 115

  rimfire, 121, 122

  and “Rocket Balls,” 117–18

  self-contained, 84, 114–17

  and technological advances, 122

  “30 aught 6,” 203

  and Western expansion, 84

  See also specific weapon

  Caspi, Antonio, 185

  Cass, David, 212

  Catholics: and gun ownership, 21, 73, 241

  Catlin, George, 109

  cavalry, American: and Spencer rifles, 131

  “center-fire” ammunition, 122

  chambered rotating weapons, Colt’s, 97–98

  Champlain, Samuel de, 11, 12, 13–16, 17

  Chappel, Alonzo, 83

  Charleville muskets, 69, 69, 70

  Chase, Anson, 97

  Chaucer, Geoffrey, 67

  Cheney family, 125, 126

  Cheyenne Indians, 148–49

  Chicago, Illinois

  gang warfare in, 193–95

  gun control laws in, 247–48

  Chickamauga, Battle of, 127

  China, 4, 202, 213, 215

  Chinn, George Morgan, 183, 187

  Church, William, 209–10

  Churchill, Winston, 198

  “Cincinnati revolt,” NRA, 232

  cities

  gun control laws in, 230–31

  See also specific city

  Civil War

  and breech-loading rifles, 126–27, 128, 129–30, 131

  casualties in, 117, 159

  and Colt firearms, 102, 107–8, 129

  doctors in, 159–60

  and Gatling guns, 158–59, 162, 163–64

  and Minié bullets, 117

  and muzzle-loaded rifles, 124–25, 130

  picture of, 123

  and rapid-firing rifles, 130–31

  and repeating rifles, 124, 127–29, 130

  and right to bear arms, 241

  Robbins and Lawrence and, 119

  role of guns in, 239

  sharpshooters in, 128–29, 130, 209, 210

  and Spencer rifles, 126, 127–28, 130–31

  and Springfield muzzleloaders, 128

  See also specific person or battle

  civilians

  assault weapons and, 219, 224

  automatic guns and, 242

  and breech-loading rifles, 129–30

  and Colt firearms, 109

  gun ownership by, 237

  and Spencer rifles, 131

  and tommy guns, 192–97

  See also crime; gangs/gangsters; gun control laws; gun ownership; hunting; Second Amendment

  Clark, William, 84

  clergy/ministers

  and debate about Bill of Rights, 74

  See also specific person

  Clinton, Bill, 242

  Clinton, Henry, 34

  Coast Guard, U.S., 192

  Cochran, John, 40–41

  Cody, William F. “Buffalo Bill,” 143–44, 143, 145, 147, 149, 150–51, 152

  Coercive Acts (1774), 45

  Coffee Mill Gun, 162, 163

  Cold War: Kalashnikovs in, 216, 217

  Coll, Vincent “Mad Dog,” 196

  “collective right” theory, 239, 243–44, 245

  Collier, Elisha, 98, 99

  Collins, Michael, 192

  colonial America

  manipulation of European ideas in, 27–30

  production of gunpowder in, 38–39

  See also American Revolution

  Colt, John, 96–97

  Colt, Samuel

  and advantages of guns, 187

  childhood/youth of, 96–97, 174

  and Civil War, 107–8

  death/funeral of, 112

  early interest in guns of, 97–98

  family background of, 96–97

  financing for, 100, 102–3, 105

  government relationship with, 101–2, 103

  home of, 107

  image of, 103

  innovations/inventions of, 102–3, 241

  legacy of, 95, 108, 113

  as manufacturer/industrialist, 100, 104, 105–6, 108, 111–12, 113, 119, 120

  military relationship with, 102–3, 104

  Morse collaboration with, 102

  and “new capitalism,” 96

  personal life of, 107, 112

  personality/image of, 95–96, 103

  picture of, 95

  and politics, 107–8

  and romanticizing of Western frontier, 143

  as showman/salesman, 98–99, 103

  views about guns and war of, 224

  wealth of, 99, 100, 103, 107, 112

  workers’ relationship with, 106–7, 112, 120

  See also Colt firearms; Colt firearms—models of; Colt Manufacturing Company

  Colt Manufacturing Company (Hartford, Connecticut)

  and assault rifles, 219–20

  and Browning, 181, 184

  as dominant in marketplace, 236

  early years of, 105–7, 111, 112, 121, 125

  Colt Manufacturing Company (cont.)

  in Patterson, New Jersey, 100, 102, 104

  and Stoner assault weapons, 220, 224

  and tommy guns, 192

  Colt firearms

  advantages of, 96

  artists’ pictures of, 109–11

  as chambered rotating weapons, 97–98

  and Civil War, 102, 107–8, 129

  and civilians, 109

  complaints about, 100–101

  cost of, 100, 105, 109

  and development of first pistols, 95–98

  and development of revolving guns, 99–100

  Indian use of, 149

  and law enforcement, 193

  marketing/sales of, 109–11

  and military, 100–103, 104, 108

  “new and improved” models of, 110

  personalization of, 109–10

  popularity of, 112

  and repeating revolver patent, 99

  and Western frontier, 103–4, 109, 138, 195

  Colt firearms—models of

  1847 Walker gun, 104, 111

  1849 Pocket Revolver, 110

  1851 Navy Revolver, 95, 110, 111, 138

  1860 Army Percussion Revolver, 108

  1873 Single Action Army gun, 152

  “Buntline Special,” 149–50

  Colt-Browning M1895 machine guns, 183

  Colt-Browning M1911 semiautomatic pistol, 184, 185, 186

  Navy revolvers, 95, 110, 111, 138

  Patterson revolver, 100, 104, 105

  percussion revolvers, 138

  Ring Lever rifle, 100

  Second Model Dragoon Revolver, 110, 111

  single-action Army models, 235

  Single Action Army “Peacemaker” gun, 108–9, 112, 137, 138, 186

  Single Action Army revolver (“Buntline Special”), 149–50

  single-action revolvers, 138

  Coltsville (Hartford, Connecticut), 106–7

  Columbus, Christopher, 12

  Comanche Indians, 104, 146–47

  Committee of Secret Correspondence, American, 41

  Coms
tock, William, 144

  Concord, Battle of, 42–43, 44, 50–52

  Congress, U.S. See Continental Congress; specific legislation

  Constantinople, Arab siege of, 35

  Constitution of Commonwealth of Virginia, 76

  Constitution, U.S.

  and Bill of Rights debate, 72, 74–75, 77–78

  originalist interpretation of, 237, 243–45, 246

  ratification of, 78

  revisionism of, 238

  and rights as privileges, 243

  rights guaranteed by, 242

  and self-defense as right, 49

  and treason, 240

  See also Bill of Rights, American; specific amendment

  Constitutional Convention: and debate about right to self-defense, 76

  Continental Army: formation of, 52

  Continental Congress, 34, 39–40, 41, 51, 56–57, 76, 239

  Cooper, Jeff, 215

  Cornwallis, Charles, 70

  Corps of Discovery, U.S., 83–84, 85, 90

  Crazy Horse, 149

  Crecy, Battle of, 5–6, 67

  Creedmore, Long Island: shooting range in, 210–11

  crime

  and gun control laws, 226–28, 229–31, 247

  and guns as making crime less prevalent, 141–42

  and machine guns, 189–90

  motorized, 197

  rates of, 197, 229, 236

  and semiautomatic pistols, 225–26

  and tommy guns, 193–97

  on Western frontier, 141–42

  See also gangs/gangsters; specific person

  Crimean War, 126

  Crittenden, T. T., 138

  Crosby, Alfred W., 3

  crossbows, 7, 12, 13, 73

  Crowley, William “Ice Wagon,” 196

  Crystal Palace Exhibition (London), 119

  Cummings, Homer, 227

  Cunniffe, “Killer,” 195–96

  Custer, George Armstrong, 128, 135, 138, 148–49

  Customs, U.S.: and tommy guns, 192

  da Vinci, Leonardo, 161

  David and Goliath, 1–2, 3

  Davies, John M., 119

  Davis, Herman, 211

  Davis, Jefferson, 101, 117

  as Berdan target, 129

  Dawes, William Jr., 50

  De Milemere, Walter, 6

  Deane, Silas, 68–69

  Dearborn, Henry, 89

  Declaration of Independence, 76

  Defense Department, U.S., and assault weapons, 221. See also military, U.S.; specific branch of military

  Deringer, Henry, 138

  derringers, 138–39

  detachable magazines, 206

  Dickens, Charles, 112

  Dillin, John, 27–28, 30

  Dillinger, John, 196

  District of Columbia

  gun control laws in, 245, 246–47

  and Heller case, 246–47

  Dixon, Billy, 146–47

  doctors, military, 159–60

  Dodge City, 140–41

  doglock muskets, 21

  double-action revolvers, 138

  double-barreled shotgun, 139–40

  Douglass, Frederick, 241

  Drucci, Vincent “the Schemer,” 193

  duels, 132–33, 134–35, 150

  Dyer, Alexander, 125