As a teacher at one of the nation’s top gunsmithing schools, I like to discuss the history of guns in North America with my students. Inevitably, a discussion starts about the introduction of guns to the Indian people of North America and whether or not it was a good idea. Is it good to introduce a violent weapon like that? I’m not sure.
It wasn’t until around 1860 that guns — rifles — started to be integrated into the Native Indian lifestyle. Popular modern rifles were Winchesters and Springfields. It is said that these types of rifles were used against General George A. Custer in the Little Bighorn. The natives often acquired these guns in trades with Europeans, frequently swapping hides for guns, whiskey, and other products.
Although I am a big proponent of guns for hobby and sport, I often wonder how the world would be different if they had not been introduced and spread across the world. I don’t know — all I know is I can promote and educate their safe use.
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