Should you own a gun? -- Americans losing trust in each other and institutions -- Arms and the woman : a feminist reappraisal -- Guns are the tools by which we forge our liberty -- Gun control in American : a history of discimination against the poor and minorities -- Talk at Temple Beth Shir Shalom : Friday, April 30, 1993 -- Apocalypse now? -- They've had enough -- Author's call to arms gets answer -- The anti-enviro connection -- America's only realistic option : promoting responsible gun ownership -- What are the alternative? -- Lawsuit aims at gun industry -- Crime fighting's about-face -- Second thoughts on the Second Amendment -- Ten essential observations on guns in America.

"Here is a book for the historian, the student, the gun collector or aficionado. . . . It approaches understatement to call Guns on the Early Frontiers an outstanding contribution to firearms literature. It sets its own standard."--New York Times. "A Glossary of Gun Terms, ample footnotes most skillfully arranged and illustrations beyond the dreams of avarice complement the text, which achieves the miracle of scholarship without tedium."--W.H. Hutchinson, San Francisco Chronicle. "Not the least interesting portions of the book are the notes and glossary and the excellent bibliography. Here [is] a book designed primarily for the serious collector or gun historian, but whose readable style should appeal even to the casual amateur. The collecting of old guns, whether privately or by a public institution, involves a certain responsibility. These guns, whose history is inextricably linked with the history of settlement, require something more than careful preservations. They require--and the present volume goes far to supply--accurate documentation."--Canadian Historical Review. Carl P. Russell, a leading authority on firearms of the American frontier, was coordinator of planning for the science and history museums and other interpretive facilities of the National Park Service in the Western United States.

DIVThoroughly documented reference identifies guns used in America during eastern settlement and westward expansion. The highly readable survey describes those who used and sold weapons as well as those who made them. 58 rare illustrations. /div

DIVDramatic story of shoulder arms, hand guns, and other weapons also describes the men who used them. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the Kentucky and Sharps rifle, Colt revolver, and much more. 499 black-and-white illustrations. /div

With its impressive breadth of coverage – both geographically and chronologically – the International Encyclopedia of Military History is the most up-to-date and inclusive A-Z resource on military history. From uniforms and military insignia worn by combatants to the brilliant military leaders and tacticians who commanded them, the campaigns and wars to the weapons and equipment used in them, this international and multi-cultural two-volume set is an accessible resource combining the latest scholarship in the field with a world perspective on military history.

"One need not be schooled in military history or archaeology to benefit from this research, for the authors do an excellent job of maintaining the interest of [both] the scholarly reader and anyone new to these subjects."--Journal of the West