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To: PMS Witch who wrote (27637)	7/31/1999 2:35:00 PM
From: blankmind	Respond to of 74651

PMS - you're correct - our early militias were quasi-private - as the members paid to belong; brought their own guns; & there were no uniforms - About gun ownership, though, my understanding was that nearly everyone had a gun; as almost everyone lived on a farm - but if the articles says differnetly - then I could be wrong - also, our first gun laws weren't passed until the gangsters & Tommy sub-machine guns became so prevalent in our days of Prohibition against alcohol in the 1920's - now, all the clintonistas have gotten behind gun control because only the Gov't - e.g. police - should own guns. Just like only the DOJ should decide who wins out in the free marketplace

To: PMS Witch who wrote (27637)	7/31/1999 5:26:00 PM
From: Dwight E. Karlsen	Respond to of 74651

OT Hi PMS Witch, on guns, you wrote, In fact, to arm themselves to fight the Revolutionary war, the people in the New World faced great obstacles in procuring and utilizing arms. Many militia were disolved because of poor attendance. Those who possessed arms invariably did not also possess the ability to use them effectively. The American public became armed mainly because the manufacturers of firearms needed to recoup their investments made for additional production capacity during World War One. Combined with the eastern fascination with Wild West legends, the gun culture was born. In going from the Revolutionary War to World War One, you're leaving out an entire century!; The great 1800s (which you may have been referring to in "Wild West legends"). I'm not a firearms history expert, but I do know that many legendary gun mfrs were begun in the 1800s: Colt Firearms, Springfield, Sharps, Remington, the list is much longer than these brief few. However, probably the two most influential were Colt and Springfield. The Colt 45 cal. revolver ("six-shooter") was a very handy weapon to have on the American Western frontier: Whether battling Indians, rattlesnakes, or the cardsharp across the table that's cheating you, well...a gun that you didn't have to reload after every shot was highly desireable. Then in long rifles, the Springfield repeater rifle was the first of its kind that used pre-measured powder, and it no doubt contributed greatly to the massive loss of life in Civil War battles. Anyway, just wanted to point out that the "gun culture" was well entrenched in America long before World War I came around. If "Wild Bill" Hickock was still City Marshall of Deadwood, South Dakota, he would probably agree. Also agreeing would be Wyatt Earp, Marshall of Dodge City, Kansas, and later Marshall of Tombstone, Arizona. Bat Masterson was another fav' Marshall, I believe he took Wyatt's place in Dodge City. As then, the bad dudes were packin' iron too: The James Gang, The Dalton Brothers, the Clantons ("Old Man Clanton" and his boys), the McLowrys (Frank and Tom), etc. But that's the stuff of legend, and I'm not even mentioning the mainstream peaceful ranchers--they all had firearms on hand of all sorts, for hunting deer, cattle rustlers, etc. The 1800s was the golden age for firearms coming to the fore in America.