Marines, U.S., 181, 192, 201, 205, 211–12, 213, 214, 220–21
marksmanship
in American Revolution, 54–63, 54
British-U.S. contest of, 210–11
as equated with patriotism, 209–10
national movement for, 211
See also sharpshooters
Martin, Joseph Plumb, 64–66, 67–68, 69, 70, 71
Maryland, 48, 63
Maschinengewehr 08 gun, 172
Maschinenpistole, 198
Mason, George, 71, 76
Mason, William, 178
mass shootings, 248
Massachusetts
and American Revolution, 31–34, 40, 42–43, 50, 52
See also Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 25, 51. See also Plymouth colony
Masterson, Bat, 112
matchlock muskets, 15–17, 21, 22, 23, 51
Mauser rifles, 208–9
Maxim guns, 166, 167, 168–72
Maxim, Hiram, 166–72, 166, 180, 187
Maxim, Hudson, 170–71
Maxim-Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company, 171
“Maximite,” 170–71
Mayflower Gun, 21–22, 22, 24
McAusland, Andrew, 176–77
McBride, H.W., 214
McCall, Jack, 152
McCanles, Dave, 136
McDonald v. City of Chicago decision, 247
McKinley, William, 152
McKinney, John R., 204
McNamara, Robert, 220
McSwiggin, William H., 194
media, 86, 239. See also movies
Medvedev, Dmitry, 223
Mennonites, 25, 26, 27
mental illness, 247
Mexican-American War, 103, 104, 175
Meylin, Martin, 26–27, 28, 29, 30
“Mikhtim” assault rifle, 217
military, U.S.
and assault weapons, 215–16, 218–22
and breech-loading rifles, 92–93
casualties in, 158–59
and Colt firearms, 100–103, 104, 108
Colt’s relationship with, 102–3, 104
doctors in, 159–60
and flintlock musket, 23
Garand rifles and, 200, 201, 206, 218
long arms used by, 92
and machine guns, 158, 162, 163
semiautomatic rifles and, 200–201, 203
sharpshooters in, 211–12, 213, 214
sidearms for, 185
and Springfield carbines/rifles, 201, 204
standard .30-caliber ammunition for, 201
and steam-powered guns, 162
and technological advances, 181–82
and tommy guns, 191–92, 193, 194, 198
and Winchester rifles, 121–22
See also War Department, U.S.; specific branch, person, or war
militias
advantages of, 51
control of, 77, 239
in early American colonies, 19–21
at Plymouth settlement, 19–21
and right to self-defense debate, 72–73, 74–75, 76, 77, 78, 239
and Second Amendment, 238, 239
size of American, 53
See also American Revolution; specific person or battle
Miller, Jackson “Jack,” 227–28
Miller, James “Killer,” 137
Miller ruling, Supreme Court, 228–29
Minié bullets, 116–17, 209
Minié, Claude Étienne, 114, 116
Minutemen, 73
Mitrailleuse guns, 164
Mohawk Indians, 11
Mohi, battle of (1241), 5
Mongolians, 4–5
Montagnais Indians, 13
Montigny, Joseph, 164
Moran, George “Bugs,” 193, 194
Morgan, Daniel, 55–56, 60. See also Morgan’s Kentucky Riflemen
Morgan, Edmund S., 4
Morgan’s Kentucky Riflemen, 55, 59–61, 63, 209
Mormons, 175, 179
Morse, Samuel, 102
Mosin-Nagant rifles, 213
movies, 86, 140, 152, 195, 229, 230
Mullins, Priscilla, 21
Murphy, Audie, 204
Murphy, Timothy, 54–55, 60, 61
Murray, James, 59
Museum of Military History (Vienna, Austria), 174
muskets
and American Revolution, 40, 43–44, 47, 59–61, 63, 65, 66–70, 66
ammunition for, 16
and arms race, 2
in Britain/England, 4, 67
British confiscation of cartridges for American, 45, 52
cost of, 13, 49, 118–19
development of, 66–68, 70
and French and Indian Wars, 11–17, 11, 43
and gunmakers, 67, 68
gunpowder for, 16, 37
for hunting, 68
invention of, 7
loading/reloading of, 15–16, 66
locks on, 67
noise of, 14
at Plymouth settlement, 19–21
production/manufacture of, 39, 67, 68, 69, 88, 91, 118–19
repairing of, 68
as revolutionizing European warfare, 12–13
rifles vs., 62, 63
simplicity of design of, 16
standardization of parts of, 66–67
and technology changes, 21
weight of, 12–13, 29
and Western expansion, 87
and Whitney’s inventions, 91–92
See also type of musket
muzzle-loading guns
rifles as, 124–25, 130, 131
shotguns as, 139
Napoleon III (emperor of France), 164
National Crime Victim Survey, 229
National Firearms Acts “NFA” (1934, 1938), 197, 226–27, 228–29, 231
National Firearms Museum, NRA (Fairfax, Virginia), 21
National Instant Criminal Background Check, 243
National Institute of Justice, 236–37
National Rifle Association (NRA), 21, 210–11, 227, 231–32, 243, 245–46
Native Americans. See Indians; specific war, tribe or person
natural rights, and Bill of Rights debate, 72–79
Navy, British, 84
Navy, U.S., 102–3, 127, 181, 201
Neily, Clark M., 245
Nelson, Gaylord, 220–21
Netherlands, 14, 61
New Deal for Crime, 227
New England
gun prohibitions in early, 25
See also specific colony or state
New Haven Arms Company. See Winchester Repeating Arms Company
New York City, 225–26, 229
New York State, 39, 54, 55, 59–61, 152, 210, 226
Nichols, George Ward, 133, 138
Nickell, Vaughn, 214
Ninth Amendment, 75
Nixon, Tom, 147
Nobel, Alfred, 170
noise
of cannons, 6, 12
of Garand M1 rifles, 204
of muskets, 14
psychological advantage of, 17
Nordenfelt Company, 171
Nordenfelt (Thorsten) gun, 164
Normandy: sharpshooters at, 212
North America: first firearms in, 11–17
North, Simeon, 93, 94
Norton, John, 116
Norwegian Krags, 182
Oakley, Annie, 151–53
Obama, Barack, 247–48
O’Banion, Dion, 193
Office of Indian Affairs, U.S., 148
Ogallala, Nebraska: killings in, 141
Ogden, Utah: Brownings in, 175–79
Okinawa, Battle at, 212
Omdurman, Battle of (1898), 171
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (1968), 230
Ordnance Board/Department, U.S. Army, 93, 101, 108, 121, 182, 183, 190, 206
Ordnance, British Board of, 67
Ordnance, U.S. Navy Bu
reau of, 183, 200
Ormsby, Waterman, 109–10
Paine, Thomas, 76
Palmcrantz, Helge, 164
“Palmer” (British inventor), 168
paper cylinders, 115
Parker, John, 43
Parker, Shelly, 245
Parkman, Francis, 148
Parsons, Jonathan, 74
Patent Arms Manufacturing Company. See Colt Manufacturing Company
patents
first gun, 92
See also specific person
Patton, George, 112, 204
Pavlichenko, Lyudmila, 208
“Peacemaker.” See Colt—firearms of: Single Action Army “Peacemaker” gun
peacetime armies: and Bill of Rights debate, 77
Pedersen rifles, 201
Penn, William, 25–26
Pennsylvania, 25–29, 38, 39, 57, 76. See also Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania long rifle, 26–27, 56. See also Kentucky long rifle
pepperbox pistols, 98
percussion arm: of North, 93
percussion caps, 69, 99, 101, 115–16, 117, 121, 161, 174–75
percussion-lock rifles, 209
Perkins, Jacob, 162
“Perkins Steam gun,” 162
Pershing, John, 182, 183, 186, 211
Peru: guns in ancient, 12
Petrarch, 6
Philadelphia Convention: and debate about Bill of Rights, 71
Philip VI (king of France), 5, 6
Philippine-American War, 190
Philistines, 1–2
Phillips, David Graham, 225–26
Pierce, Franklin, 101
pikes, 51, 88
Pilgrims/Puritans, 18–21, 18, 51. See also specific person
pistols
origins of, 23
See also specific model or type of pistol
Pitt, William, 77
Plains Indians, 148
plastics, 218
Plymouth colony, 18–21, 18. See also Massachusetts Bay Colony
Polk, James, 104
Pomeroy, H.S., 106
Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763), 86
Pony Express, 144
populist revolt, 7–8
Post, Henry A.V., 128
Postal Service, U.S., 192
Powder Alarm: and American Revolution, 31–41, 46
Powhatan Indians, 22
precision firearms: development of, 88
Prescott, William, 34, 50
Preston, Thomas, 75–76
Price, Richard, 47
Princeton, Battle of, 64
Princip, Gavrilo, 173–74, 185
Provincial Powder House (Massachusetts), 31–33, 40
Puckle, James, 161
Pulemyot Maxima Obraztsa 1910, 172
pump-action shotguns, 177
Puntigam, Anton, 173–74
Puritans. See Pilgrims/Puritans
Purvis, Melvin, 196
Putin, Vladimir, 223
Pyle, Ernie, 212
Quakers, 25–26
racism, 239, 241–42
Ragon, Hiram, 228
railroads, 145
range warfare, 2–4
ranged weapons, 2–3
rapid-fire weapons, 130–31, 153, 182, 183, 186, 190, 205
Reagan, Ronald, 242
recreational gun market. See sport shooting
registry, gun, 227, 232, 242, 243
Remington Arms Company, 191, 224, 235, 236
Remington guns
and Browning, 176
double-action revolvers, 138
Indian use of, 149
M1875 .44-40 caliber gun, 138
New Model 1875 gun, 138
New Model Army Percussion Revolver, 139
popularity of, 138
rifles as, 176, 182
single-action revolvers, 138
and Western frontier, 138, 195
and World War I, 182
repeating guns
air gun as precursor of, 91
and Browning, 174–75, 177
and Civil War, 124, 128–29, 130
Colt’s patent of, 99
development of, 98, 127, 130
loading/reloading of, 175
rifles as, 91, 122, 124, 127, 128–29, 130, 135, 177, 178
shotguns as, 177
and smokeless powder, 178
and technological advances, 122
and Western frontier, 135
Winchester as dominant producer of, 177
See also specific firearm of inventor
Republicanism: and Bill of Rights debate, 74
Requa, Josephus, 161, 162
Revere, Paul, 31, 38, 39, 40, 44, 50
revisionist histories, 238–39, 242
revolvers
air gun as precursor of, 91
development, production, and popularity of, 95–96, 99–100, 169
loading/reloading of, 100, 104, 117
six-shot, 135
and technological advances, 122
and Western expansion, 103–4, 135
See also specific weapon or manufacturer
ribauldequins, 161
A Rifleman Went to War (McBride), 214
riflemen, 56–58, 61, 63. See also Morgan’s Kentucky riflemen rifles
and arms race, 2
as automatic weapons, 180, 184, 191
and Browning-Winchester collaboration, 177
and gun control laws, 245
gunpowder for, 62
hunting, 29, 30, 58, 129–30, 145–46, 233
loading/reloading of, 28, 29, 62, 63, 203
mass-production of, 61
muskets vs., 62, 63
ownership of, 237
problems with, 62–63
quality of, 62
role in American Revolution of, 61–63, 65
role in warfare of, 182, 207–8
in World War I, 182–83
See also type of rifle
right to bear arms. See Bill of Rights, American; Second Amendment; self-defense
rimfire cartridges, 121, 122
rimfire pistols, 234
Ripley, James Wolfe, 126–27, 130
Robbins & Lawrence, 118–19, 146
Robbins, Samuel E., 118–19
Robins, John, 43
Robinson, Edward G., 195
Robinson, John, 19
“Rocket Ball,” 117–18
rodeos, 150
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 197, 201, 227
Roosevelt, Theodore, 112
Root, Elihu, 106
Root, Elisha K., 105, 112
rotating chambered breech firearms, 98
rotating cylinders, 99
Royal Small Arms Factory (Enfield, England), 126
Ruger, William B., 233–36
Russia/Soviet Union, 164, 172, 202, 203, 208, 215–17, 222–23
Russo-Japanese War (1904–5), 172
Salisbury, Lord, 172
saltpeter, 31, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39–40, 41
samurai, 1
Saratoga, Second Battle of, 54–55, 59–61
Savage 99 gun, 233
Sawyer, Charles Winthrop, 47, 112
Scalia, Antonin, 75, 228, 247
Schönbein, Christian Friedrich, 170
Schupphaus, R.C., 171
Scott, Thomas, 129
The Scout of the Plains (stage production), 150
Second Amendment
and American Revolution, 239–40
Ashcroft statement about, 244–45, 246
Burger comments about, 244
and civil rights, 241–42
“collective right” theory about, 239, 243–44, 245
debate about, 72–79, 231–33, 238–48
and home defense, 238
ideological foundations for, 72
individual rights and, 238–48
judicial decisions about, 228–29, 238, 243, 244, 246–47
and militia, 238, 239
and NFA, 228–29
and
Oakley’s support for guns, 151
originalist interpretation of, 237, 243–45, 246
origins of, 72–79
and politically motivated historians, 47–48
as relic of American Revolution, 245
and right of self-defense, 72–79, 231, 238, 240
See also gun control laws; gun ownership
Sedgwick, John, 209
self-defense
and American Revolution, 35, 44–45
and Blacks ownership of guns, 242
and British confiscation of colonial guns, 49
in colonial America, 20
and Constitutional guarantees, 242
debate about right of, 49, 72–79, 240
and gun control laws, 230, 245, 246
and gun ownership, 238, 240, 242, 245, 246
importance of, 75–76
judicial decisions about, 246
as manifestation of natural rights, 49
and militias, 239
and Second Amendment, 231, 238, 240
and Western expansion, 85
self-priming firearms, 98
semiautomatic guns
Browning, 174, 180, 184, 185–86, 187–88
and crime, 225–26
and France, 203
Garand, 200–201, 203
gas-operated, 233
loading/reloading of, 203
and military, 200–201, 203
negative views about, 182
pistols as, 174, 184, 185–86, 187–88, 225–26, 234
rifles as, 200–201, 203
of Ruger, 234
shotguns as, 180
and World War II, 203
Seminole Indian War, 93, 101
serial numbers: on tommy guns, 194
servants: and gun ownership, 21
Seville, Siege of, 5
Sharps, Christian, 146
Sharps M1853 carbines, 146
Sharps rifles, 145, 146–47, 147, 149
sharpshooters
in American Revolution, 54–55, 58–59
in Britain, 209
characteristics of, 214
in China, 213
in Civil War, 128–29, 130, 209, 210
and countersniping techniques, 213
deadliness of, 214
and definition of sniper, 212
and France, 211
and Germany, 208–9, 211, 212
as legends, 214
Marines as, 211–12, 213, 214
pairs of, 214
role in warfare of, 214
as showmen, 151
and Soviet Union, 208
top-scoring American, 214
training for, 209, 212, 214
and Winchester rifles, 213, 214
women as, 208
in World War I, 208–9, 211, 214
in World War II, 207, 208, 212
See also marksmanship; specific person
Shaw, Joshua, 115
Shawnee Indians, 86
Sheridan, Philip, 149
shooting clubs, 210
shooting contests, 150, 233
short-range battles, 205, 206
shotguns
automatic, 179–80
as breech-loading weapons, 139
and Browning-Winchester collaboration, 177, 179–80
and gun control laws, 245