"Arming America" book is a scam!

[GulfCoast]

A few years ago, Emory University Prof. Michael A. Bellesiles puplished a book "Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture." This book posited the position that there was no "gun culture" in America prior to the Civil War, and
that only 15% of Americans owned guns prior to the civil war. Basically, he went through old probate records, and because very few guns appeared in probate records prior to the civil war, he theorized that only 15% of Americans had guns.

Thus, he says the average american did not have guns available to him until the era of mass production after the civil war. Thus, per Bellesiles, there would be obvious problems for a historical tradition of 2d amendment rights. This book made Prof. Bellesiles a liberal media darling, as some of you may recall.

Fast forward to 2002. Emory has launched an investigation into whether Bellesiles fabricated much of the information used to support his conclusions. Turns out when other historians tried to check his research, they found that he cited documents that were DESTROYED in the Chicago fire of 1906 and cited other documents that predate the statehood of Vermont. Now he claims that his notes were "destroyed in a flood."

Not to mention the obvious problems with his "probate record" research. As in the oldest male child snags the guns and they generally don't go through the probate process, just like the pets and family bible do not ever go through the probate process. Other historians say Bellesiles was off by up to a factor of 4X based on the records he cited that they COULD FIND.

So much for liberal "anti-gun scholarship".
GC

[Hambone]

Gulfcoast, did you recently read something about the "research" that Bellesisle performed? Alot of what you said sounded awfully familiar, but I cannot remember where I read it. You don't see references to guns in many modern Mississippi probate files, and we all know how many firearms are in this state. I wonder if his "research" would show that the average Mississippian lacks access to guns in this day and age?

[walt333ms]

another observation.....if there were so few guns prior to the civil war.....

1..we must not have had any guns to fight the indians and british because all we had was a civilian army armed mostly with their own guns....

2..did have a small organized army during the second war of independence...the war of 1812....

3..the indian wars in the northwest...and the plains did not see any sharps breach blocks...or muskets....

4..take a look and see from 1750-1820..where the population lived...60-70% rural...and chief source of protien....game..

so was he correct..dont think so...

uncle walt and sam

[GulfCoast]

There was an article a while back in the National Review, and a blurb about it on NPR this morning.

[crow]

There have been many articles about this situation here in the metro Atlalanta area in the local press and on tv. Botton line, he is totally discredited and Emory is taking action to dismiss him on ethics charges.

[JPII]

How come so many injuns had bullet holes in their hide?

Guns being probated?..heck, I thought they were carried to the probate just to make sure the will was read good 'n proper? [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Opening line from Braveheart.."history is written by those who've hanged heroes".

[ March 04, 2002: Message edited by: JPII ]