Colonial America is often thought of as a time when every man had a weapon on hand. Where each Colonist was ready to defend liberty and freedom, with their trusty musket, at a moment's notice. The fact of the matter is quite different than this stereotypical vision. In fact, the great majority of Colonists had never bothered to arm themselves, let alone become proficient in shooting. Instead, they allowed the Revolutionary War to be won primarily by professionals.

             In the 1770s, local militia were expected to be at the ready to defend the citizens. The tradition of the British political thinking had been passed on the American Colonists. As such, a militia system was preferred, in favor of a standing army. It was believed that a standing army was part and parcel of an oppressive government, and that a militia was the best option to maintain a free society (Ehrman & Henigan).

             For this reason, all able-bodied, adult men were supposed to take part in annual training days, for the local militia. However, these musters quickly deteriorated into excuses to hold town festivals. Instead of practicing military drills and serious musket practice, the men would join in parades and shooting competitions. Colonists may have owned small shotguns, for fowl, but rarely owned muskets that were effective in warfare ("Arming the Soldiers").

             In contrast, today, gun ownership is still not the choice of the majority of United States citizens. Approximately 65 million people owned 240 million firearms in 1997. That's approximately 25 percent of the population ("Gun Control"). It's not a large majority, much like the gun ownership of the 1770s. In addition, the types of guns owned are of greater variety. Everything from pistols, to shot guns, to rifles, to semi-automatic machine guns, can be found on the streets of America today. And, sadly, no longer are these guns kept on hand, by the average citizen, in case of a civil emergency and the need to defend their neighbors, instead they are kept for sport or self-protection against their neighbor.