The gunning of America : business and the making of American gun culture
(Book)
Author
Published
New York : Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, [2016].
Format
Book
ISBN
9780465048953, 0465048951
Physical Desc
xxv, 496 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Status
Newport - Adult Non-Fiction
338.4768 Haa
1 available
338.4768 Haa
1 available
Description
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Newport - Adult Non-Fiction | 338.4768 Haa | On Shelf |
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Bristol (Rogers Free) - Adult Non-Fiction | 338.476 HAA | On Shelf |
Central Falls (Adams Memorial) - Adult Non-Fiction | 338.4 Haa | On Shelf |
Coventry - Adult Non-Fiction | 363.33 HAA | On Shelf |
Cranston Central - Adult Non-Fiction | 338 .476 HAA | On Shelf |
Cumberland - Non-Fiction (2nd Floor) | 7998 SOCIALSCI-GUNDEBATES-HAA | On Shelf |
More Details
Published
New York : Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, [2016].
Language
English
ISBN
9780465048953, 0465048951
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 403-478) and index.
Description
Americans have always loved guns. This special bond was forged during the American Revolution and sanctified by the Second Amendment. It is because of this exceptional relationship that American civilians are more heavily armed than the citizens of any other nation. Or so we're told. In The Gunning of America, historian Pamela Haag overturns this conventional wisdom. American gun culture, she argues, developed not because the gun was exceptional, but precisely because it was not: guns proliferated in America because throughout most of the nation's history, they were perceived as an unexceptional commodity, no different than buttons or typewriters. Focusing on the history of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, one of the most iconic arms manufacturers in America, Haag challenges many basic assumptions of how and when America became a gun culture. Under the leadership of Oliver Winchester and his heirs, the company used aggressive, sometimes ingenious sales and marketing techniques to create new markets for their product. Guns have never "sold themselves"; rather, through advertising and innovative distribution campaigns, the gun industry did. Through the meticulous examination of gun industry archives, Haag challenges the myth of a primal bond between Americans and their firearms. Over the course of its 150 year history, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company sold over 8 million guns. But Oliver Winchester - a shirtmaker in his previous career - had no apparent qualms about a life spent arming America. His daughter-in-law Sarah Winchester was a different story. Legend holds that Sarah was haunted by what she considered a vast blood fortune, and became convinced that the ghosts of rifle victims were haunting her. She channeled much of her inheritance, and her conflicted conscience, into a monstrous estate now known as the Winchester Mystery House, where she sought refuge from this ever-expanding army of phantoms. In this provocative and deeply-researched work of narrative history, Haag fundamentally revises the history of arms in America, and in so doing explodes the clichés that have created and sustained our lethal gun culture. -- Provided by publisher.
Description
"An acclaimed historian explodes the myth about the 'special relationship' between Americans and their guns, revealing that savvy 19th century businessmen--not gun lovers--created American gun culture"--,Provided by publisher.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Haag, P. (2016). The gunning of America: business and the making of American gun culture . Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Haag, Pamela. 2016. The Gunning of America: Business and the Making of American Gun Culture. Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Haag, Pamela. The Gunning of America: Business and the Making of American Gun Culture Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 2016.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Haag, Pamela. The Gunning of America: Business and the Making of American Gun Culture Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 2016.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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