Firearms in the United States of America - Part 1

Alpha
Jan 1, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Oct 1, 2024

One of the most striking aspects of the USA’s general culture is the overwhelming presence and impact that firearms have in the country. As of 2022, 45% of the USA’s population reported that they owned a firearm [1]. With an estimated number of 120 guns per 100 members of the population [2], it can be inferred that the number of guns not only exceeds the population but that most gun owners have more than one firearm in their possession. As such, in the following two weeks, we will be releasing two articles exploring the existence of guns in the USA. Consequently, in this first article, we will be exploring the origins of the prevalent American gun culture, its evolution throughout the country's history, and its modern presence on the social/political American stage.

PHOTO CREDIT: Image by Ibro Palic from Pixabay

The British and Guns:

As the British colonized the North American continent, trade and economic activities boomed within the British empire. Booth the natural goods extracted from the land, the crops harvested within plantations, and even the slave trade were extremely profitable. As such, it was within the British Empire's best interests to not only support said means of commerce, but to protect them.

Nevertheless, by not wanting to fall within the same problems as the Spanish army, which prohibited guns within their colonies and relied on a large and expensive army to handle the protection of colonial settlements, the British Empire actively encouraged the existence of guns owned by the colonial parties. Consequently, the colonists now had ownership of firearms which were used to defend their property from the other colonial powers and from the native tribes, which ended up backfiring.

Furthermore, the modern ideas of protection of oneself and their property tied to gun ownership and American culture as a whole can be traced back to the ideals enforced by life within the British colonies. Being those same ideals of private ownership that attracted so many settlers.

The American Revolution and the Swiss

As the American Revolution subsided and the newly formed government sought to establish itself within the world's political stage, the existence of guns became a crucial aspect of the new country's identity. For the American population, to have a gun meant to have the possibility to fight for one’s freedom, property, and government. An idea that was shared by America’s founding fathers and that was seen as an advantage that America held in the face of other nations [3].

Moreover, the population should not only have access to these firearms, but it should also be trained in how to use them, so as to be able to form a militia in defense of the people’s freedom. This notion which can be traced back to Switzerland and its societal structure which relies on a militia system to defend the people’s interests. Such can be seen in the 2nd amendment and its statement: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”.

However, as the American people and their government sought to expand their territories into the unexplored west of their continent, the need for an established and trained military supplanted the new country's ideas of a military force formed by the people. Even more, as the hunting sport grew with the colonization of the West, so did the gun culture that surrounded it, with the connection between one’s shooting and survival skills being seen as something similar to a rite of passage.

Frontier tradition and the value of property

As the exploration of the West continued, stories that embellished the American exploration of occupied land and their conflicts with native people, became an integral part of the country's identity and folklore. As the colonists settled within their fields of commerce, guns became once again an important part of this new way of life. Especially in the South, as guns were an important part of the enforcement of the slave trade, and in the West, where guns were seen as an integral part of one’s survival. The “cowboy” and the “Wild-west” became part of the collective identity and imagination of the American people. Guns became a symbol of the American right to property and their wild spirit.

Early 20th century

As time passed and the 20th century began, the prevalence of guns in American culture shifted to a more modern stance. The guns were no longer a thing of frontier justice, but also a part of society's underbelly. As pop culture faced the rise of gang factions within the USA, guns became central to this shift. With the events of both World Wars, the rise in popularity of the military complex and the notion of an international fight for freedom was accompanied by the popularity of firearms as a tool with which one could fight for God, country, and freedom. Said shift could be seen as more and more fictitious heroes and antiheroes began to carry guns as a means to protect the law. Such as Bonnie and Clyde, Dirty Harry, RoboCop, and many others.

Guns in politics

As gun culture and ownership evolved, so did the political debate around guns. Without a need for guns as a tool for frontier exploration and settling, or for a people's militia and with the rise of more and more gun-related violent crimes, the overwhelming presence of guns within the US became part of the political debate between the Democratic and Republican parties.

As left-wing groups defend the existence of tighter gun laws and a restriction of access to firearms of certain types and calibers, the more right-wing leaning groups tend to defend the existence of guns as crucial for the safety of the common citizen. Regardless, it is clear that as time passed, the First Amendment became a justification presented by America’s political parties as to why one should have the right to own a firearm. However, the amendment's requirement for a people's militia has become more and more obsolete with the passage of time.

Conclusion

The right to possess a firearm has become an integral part of the way in which the American people see their identity. To be American one should have a right to possess a gun, and as the debate surrounding the overwhelming existence of these dangerous tools has evolved, it has also become a divisive point of contention. Nevertheless, next week’s article will tackle the consequences of the abundance of guns and gun ownership in the US.

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