“What is left for the supporters of restrictive gun control seeking an intellectual justification for their position? They are counting on a complete rewrite of American history [to downplay the centrality of guns in America].”
—Clayton E. Cramer, author of
Concealed Weapon Laws of the Early Republic: Dueling, Southern Violence, and Moral Reform

“If America’s gun culture is a recent development, then gun deaths today . . . are not the price we pay for our heritage—because there is no such heritage.”
—Joshua Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center

American actors such as John Wayne brought the cowboy—icon of American independence, righteousness, and brawn—to the silver screen. Moviegoers around the world have come to associate the United States with cowboys, and, for better or ill, with the guns that they carry.

America’s fascination...