Description
Traces the rise of America's gun culture to the mid-nineteenth century, arguing that Civil War gun manufacturing and allowing ex-soldiers to keep their weapons changed the gun from a scarce and seldom-used tool to a perceived necessity.
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Bellesiles (history, Emory U.) explodes a number of myths about the role of guns in American history. Examining probate records, correspondence of militia commanders, and a number of other sources he finds that gun ownership among average Americans wasn't widespread until as late as the Civil War. He also argues that from the very beginning of European settlement, guns were highly regulated by authorities and that guns were viewed as having a special status as being ultimately at the disposal of government. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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