The history of weapons dates back thousands of years ago in the ancient world and was used for many common needs as there are today. Hunting, sports, warfare, and law enforcement are just to name a few of the very many reasons to own a firearm. In this blog, we’re going to focus on weaponry used in the history of war, honoring and recognizing our heroes on this upcoming Veteran’s Day.
The Beginnings
Before the modern firearm was created, humans used what they found in the environment around them for weapons. Some common materials were natural resources, most predominantly stone and copper, which played a huge part in Ancient times and essentially helped them to thrive as a population. Bows and arrows were crafted, along with spears, axes, and other items. Some stone tips have been found to date back 64,000 years!
Hand-made weaponry continued into the early Middle Ages during the wars between the Barbarian Tribes and the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire favored various weapons and armor for protection; some of the common weapons they used include swords, daggers, and javelins. A number of Barbarians had previously served in the Roman army, giving them advantage against them to know which tools and resources to utilize. However, Barbarians eventually began creating their own weapons, which led to longer two-edge swords and other advancements.
The Creation of Gunpowder Weapons
Similar weapons continued into the later Middle Ages and soon enough gunpowder was introduced. It is said that gunpowder was originally obtained from China, but historians say only a small percentage of European men had a gun. It was very costly to purchase a firearm – close to two months of pay for a skilled artisan! Gunpowder was primarily used to replace catapults and onagers. Around 1450, inventors aimed to improve the firearm, and soon the matchlock gun was born. Though this was a huge advancement in the industry, the weapon took much too long to reload – by the time the gun was fully reloaded and ready to shoot, it was too late.
Modern Day
We can basically write a book about all of the advancements and milestones within firearms, but we hope this was a good background for you all to see how far we have come! About 1 out of 3 Americans have a firearm in their household and in America alone there are approximately 300 million firearms in total in America! Now that is a lot of ammo.
We’d also like to dedicate this blog post to remembering and honoring our Veterans. America would not be what it is today without our true heroes defending the nation
God Bless and Happy Veterans Day!
Sources
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_weapons
pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/06/04/a-minority-of-americans-own-guns-but-just-how-many-is-unclear/