I just finished reading “Armed America: The Remarkable Story of How and Why Guns Became as American as Apple Pie”

The book is largely intent on proving wrong Bellesile’s claim (Arming America 2000) that guns were uncommon in early America.  Cramer even states this purpose late in the book.

What I found most interesting was not only the abundance of firearms in colonial America but the laws requiring colonists to have arms at the ready.  Cramer sites early laws requiring colonists to carry their arms to church or be fined up to a months wages.  They were also fined if their firearms were not maintained in working order.  A far stretch from today’s firearms laws.