About Michael Bellesiles...

[Bartholomew Roberts]

This is the writer that has recently published a book claiming that ownership of firearms in pre-Civil War days is nothing more than a myth.

Below is a concise and brief rebuttal to this premise that may come in handy during debates with the anti-rights crowd.
http://www.alamanceind.com/newfol~2/nation_33.html

 

[Brett Bellmore]

I wouldn't call a ten to fifteen percent ownership rate of an expensive piece of precision hardware in a mostly agrarian society, "a myth"; Heck, that's all of a third of what it is today, when the cost of a gun is a fraction of a year's wages at the poverty level! Certainly didn't have that widespread ownership of printing presses, but nobody uses that to deny the right of freedom of the press.

Moreover, haven't they estimated that only about 10% of the population took part in the Revolutionary war? (Because everyone would have starved if more had deserted the farms, I'd guess.) Plenty of private firearms, then, to arm everybody who could as a practical matter take part in militia duty.

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Sic semper tyrannis!

 

[mk86fcc]

If this is the same fellow I'm thinking of, Heston lambasted him about six months ago. Part of his comments were along the line that if he didn't have anything better to do than go through a whole bunch of musty, dusty records, maybe he should get a hobby. the gentleman wrote a very polite reply which appeared in the American Guardian (copy of which I can't locate). The gist of it was (and please remember, I'm paraphrasing from memory): "I drew no conclusions in my report, simply stated a fact that firearms were not listed in probate inventories. I'm a historian - going through musty, dusty records is what I do for a living. If Mr. Heston is ever in Atlanta (IIRC) I'd be happy to buy him a beer." But then again, might be an entirely different guy...

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"...and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."
Luke 22:36
"An armed society is a polite society."
Robert Heinlein
"Power corrupts. Absolute power - is kinda cool!"
Fred Reed

 

[LIProgun]

I share the same recollection as mk86fcc. It was indeed Bellesiles.

In the 9/10 New York Times Sunday Book Review, anti-gun historian Garry Wills glowingly reviewied Bellesiles' book. I sent in a letter to the editor pointing to historical example (Lexington and Concord) as well as an excerpt from James Madison as better evidence of the point than Bellesile's use of inferences from probate records to reach his conclusions.

I doubt they'll print it, but it made me feel better.