num_pages: 604
description: Americans have always staunchly, sometimes bloodily, defended their right to bear arms, but does the historical record bear out this right? Michael Bellesiles, in a meticulous study of the issue that draws extensively on archival material and original sources, says no. He traces "gun fever" to its European origins, documents the rarity of firearms in early America, covers technological advances, and details the strange series of developments during the Civil War that helped make the gun an integral and deadly fixture in modern American life. This revised and updated edition offers new research addressing critics' legitimate concerns, showing that the underlying thesis of the book remains as solid — and timely — as ever.
language: English
title: Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture
titlecomplete: Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture
genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Banned Books, American History, Social, Sociology, History
ratings_count: 93
places: The United States of America
awards: awardedAt: 978336000000
name: J. Gordon Coogler Award
category: the worst book of the year, awardedAt: 978336000000
name: Bancroft Prize
category: rescind for scholarly misconduct
publisher: Soft Skull Press