By Marsha Brandsdorfer
Guns portrayed on dozens of U.S. and international stamps make a good topical collection. Guns have a long history, which Retired Navy Seal, Chris Kyle discusses in detail in his book, “American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Fire Arms” which was predominantly written before his death, ironically by an armed U.S. Marine Corps veteran in 2013. The book was completed with the help of writer William Doyle and published posthumously.
Only briefly can I touch on the topic here, but Kyle begins his gun history, starting with the American Long Rifle, also known as the Kentucky rifle, introduced in the 1700s. These handmade rifles were designed to kill small to medium prey and used against attacking Indians. The rifles were also used by militias in the Revolutionary War. David Crockett, frontiersman, and politician, used an American Long Rifle during the Battle of the Alamo in the Texas Revolution. Unfortunately, the Mexican troops won that battle.
The Thompson submachine gun was designed for the military use in WWI. Because of the number of rounds it could load and shoot, it would be considered to be a great military weapon, but by the time the gun was ready for production, the war was over. Instead, the Thompson guns were popularly used by gangsters who generated an exceedingly amount of organized crime from gambling and sales of alcohol during the Prohibition Era.
Guns had to be reliable, such as the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle used by the military in WWII, which was an excellent rifle since it could be dependable even if it was dragged in the mud. It had the capability to reload quickly, which was very important because time wasted could cost a soldier his life. It was able to fire shots quickly and it was easy to disassemble for cleaning and oiling.
Originally handguns could only fire one shot which made the handler vulnerable, as Indians could shower arrows in the time that it took the handler to reload, until 1847, when Colonel Sam Colt invented the Walker Colt handgun which fired six chambers. However, it was so heavy, that some handlers just used it as a club to strike down their enemies. In the 1950s and 1960s, the .38 Special Police Revolver, designed by Smith & Wesson did well, as this handgun was easy to carry around and pull out of gun holsters carried on one’s belt.
Jack Ruby used a 38-caliber Colt Cobra to kill Lee Harvey Oswald. Later, more powerful handguns were needed, as better weapons were being used by criminals. The Glock 17 is a light semi-automatic pistol used today by some federal agencies, such as the FBI, and some military special forces. Improved developments will continue to empower gun weaponry to the needs of the military, the police force, and the public.