4th of July and America’s Firearm Heritage

Celebrating Independence Day

Every year on July 4th, Americans across the nation come together to celebrate Independence Day. This day marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, when the thirteen American colonies declared their freedom from British rule. The Fourth of July is a time of patriotic displays, fireworks, parades, and barbecues, reflecting the pride and unity of the American people. But beyond the festivities, this day also serves as a reminder of the principles and values upon which the United States was founded, including liberty, democracy, and the right to self-determination.

America's Firearm Heritage

Integral to the story of American independence is the nation's deep-rooted firearm heritage. Firearms played a crucial role in the Revolutionary War, enabling the colonists to stand against the better-equipped British forces. The militia, comprised of ordinary citizens armed with their personal firearms, was essential in the fight for independence. This tradition of an armed citizenry was deeply embedded in the American consciousness and later enshrined in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states, "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

American Arms Production 

The first firearms produced in America started “literally as a cottage industry” wrote Chris Kyle, former Navy SEAL and author of American Gun, the book he was writing when he was tragically killed. American guns, he explained, were adaptations of European designs to meet the demands of the American frontier. They were shorter, lighter and rifled, giving the “American Long Rifle,” or Kentucky Long Rifle its place in history. They were the original American guns, designed, manufactured and employed to meet the unique needs of hunting America’s landscapes.

Those rifles were also employed in America’s rebellion against the British crown. British Lt. Gen Thomas Gage sent a 700-man force from Boston to Lexington and Concord, Mass., to seize a cache of guns and gunpowder. On April 19, 1775, they were met by 77 Colonists bearing whatever guns they could bring. Likely, among them were American made firearms.

More than a year before America declared sovereignty, the heritage of America’s fierce independence backed by private gun ownership had taken root.The notion of a nation’s citizenry was revolutionary for the time, but not for the Founders.

James Madison, America’s fourth president, wrote in Federalist 46 that private firearm ownership was an essential trait of the American character.

“Americans have the right and advantage of being armed – unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.”

General George Washington established the “Arsenal at Springfield” in 1777, later known as Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. In 1795 it went from storing guns to producing them with the 1795 Springfield Flintlock Infantry Musket, just a year after now-President Washington ordered the arsenal to become a full-fledged armory.

This marked the beginning of many famous American gun manufacturers, including Eliphalet Remington, Samuel Colt, Smith and Wesson, Benjamin Henry, John Moses Browning, Hiram Maxim, and later, Eugene Stoner, who designed the modern AR-15 sporting rifle.

Eugene M. Stoner, left, and Mikhail T. Kalashnikov hold the assault rifles they designed: AR-15 and AK-47.

Celebration of Arms

From the very beginning, the celebration of the Declaration of Independence has involved firearms. Just five days after the Declaration was signed, it was read aloud in New York City in front of General Washington and his troops. The reaction was dramatic and fitting. Soldiers and citizens marched to Bowling Green, a park in Manhattan, and tore down a statue of King George III on horseback. To add insult to injury, they melted the statue down to make musket balls—42,088 of them, to be precise.

Firearms, especially the big ones, have always marked America's independence. On July 4, 1777, ship cannons fired 13 times in honor of the colonies, accompanied by fireworks. In 1778, George Washington celebrated by giving his troops a double ration of rum and an artillery salute. By 1810, the War Department had established the "national salute," which involved firing from rifles for each of the states—17 at the time.

From the outset, guns have played a central role in the celebration of America's independence, highlighting their significance in our nation's history and heritage.