LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
On April 19, 1775 the lawful government of the American colonies dispatched soldiers to Lexington and Concord for the specific purpose of dealing with rebellious colonists by seizing their arms and ammunition. When British troops reached the Old Stone Bridge they were met with rifle fire (later referred to as "the shot heard around the world"), igniting the Revolutionary War that launched a new nation to be known as the United States of America.
The people who stood up to government tyranny were farmers, merchants, small business men, laborers, and perhaps a few less-than-desirable types. They called themselves a "militia", as they had been known for many years when they protected their communities from criminal gangs and marauding savages in an era that had yet to implement local law enforcement or state police organizations.
The arms intended for seizure are well documented, including muskets, rifles, shotguns, pistols, bayonets, swords, and a number of small cannon. All of these were commonly used by citizens in their daily lives. All were privately owned.
Among the commonly cited causes of the American Revolution are taxation without representation, autocratic or dictatorial rule, and a governing body with no connection to the people struggling to make a living under difficult conditions, treating the people as a source of taxes and income. Less frequently noted is the fact that the actual spark of rebellion was provided by the government's effort toward gun control.
Today, 244 years later, there are those who believe that firearms need to be eliminated from private ownership, or closely controlled by government. Perhaps they think that they can accomplish what General Thomas Gage attempted at Concord and Lexington, but without a similar result.
Food for thought. Just history, not a political commentary (although separating politics from history can be difficult).
The people who stood up to government tyranny were farmers, merchants, small business men, laborers, and perhaps a few less-than-desirable types. They called themselves a "militia", as they had been known for many years when they protected their communities from criminal gangs and marauding savages in an era that had yet to implement local law enforcement or state police organizations.
The arms intended for seizure are well documented, including muskets, rifles, shotguns, pistols, bayonets, swords, and a number of small cannon. All of these were commonly used by citizens in their daily lives. All were privately owned.
Among the commonly cited causes of the American Revolution are taxation without representation, autocratic or dictatorial rule, and a governing body with no connection to the people struggling to make a living under difficult conditions, treating the people as a source of taxes and income. Less frequently noted is the fact that the actual spark of rebellion was provided by the government's effort toward gun control.
Today, 244 years later, there are those who believe that firearms need to be eliminated from private ownership, or closely controlled by government. Perhaps they think that they can accomplish what General Thomas Gage attempted at Concord and Lexington, but without a similar result.
Food for thought. Just history, not a political commentary (although separating politics from history can be difficult).
