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The author tears the myth of the early pioneer who kept a rifle over the mantlepiece to hunt game and defend against Indians to shreds. Americans were almost completely indifferent to guns prior to the Civil War. They were too expensive, too inaccurate, and required too much maintenance and training to appeal to most Americans. And far from trying to disarm America, for the first 90 years of our history, the government tried desperately to arm us. They were far more afraid of foreign invasion than insurrection. It was the Civil War and the massive arms industry it spawned which finally put guns at the center of America's identity. The book is incredibly well-documented. There is almost too much detail, but when you are tearing apart one of America's most cherished myths, I guess you have to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. But in the end it doesn't matter what history says. We make myths true by believing in them. Guns make powerless people feel powerful, and they give fearful people a feeling of power over what we fear most: each other, and that's why guns are here to stay.Read full review
Just look up " Michael Bellesiles scandal about this book" that all you need to read.
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