11/30 Root: Guns

“Guns are part of the American identity”

- Henry Rollins

Sandy Hook. Virginia Tech. Columbine. Aurora. Amish Schoolhouse. Fort Hood. All of these places have something eerie and traumatizing in common. They all were the sites of some of the infamous mass shootings that have occurred. And the one of these places was the start of it all: Columbine.

Before we dive in with mass shootings, we have to start at the gun itself. How did guns come about? Why are they black?

According to the NRA, or the National Rifle Association, the origin of guns came from gunpowder back in 1250 A.D. either from Turkey, Europe or China. After gunpowder came cannons, or a giant gun. Within 50 years, early cannon had been developed. A large thick metal tube, with one closed end (the breech) and an open end (the muzzle) was loaded first with gunpowder then with a projectile. (NRA) Finally, the first hand-held weapon was created almost a half-century (1350) after the cannon, or as they called it “hand-cannon”.  From there, firearms kept advancing over the next four centuries.  

The hand-cannon from around 1350.

It’s no surprise that guns have extremely advanced over time. Around the 1400s is when the first real “gun”, the matchlock appeared. Then, around the 1540s, the mechanism of “rifling” in guns appeared, followed by the first true flintlock. (PBS) Through 1750 to 1850, dueling pistols came into fashion, and this is during the French and Indian War, The Boston Massacre, the War of 1812, and a War with Mexico. During 1850 is when the “true” shotgun was developed after the design of the musket. Through 1854-1892, the evolution of the gun was enormous due to multiple wars, and technological advances; guns like the Winchester rifle, double-action revolver, cartridge revolver, and automatic handguns. Anything after the 1900s is when the evolution of contemporary guns begins.

Guns now are more modern, more slick. And gun manufacturers have learned how to stop the rust from taking over the gun.

Are you sure this is a gun and not a lazer gun? Yes? Well then I'll take 3!

 Guns obtain their black color by a cheap process called ‘bluing’. The process was developed as an easy and cheap way to protect the gun from rust, and is done by gun manufacturers, gunsmiths, and gun owners. Not only does it help protect the gun from rust, it also prevents scratching and reduces the glare that the shooter will see when they look down the barrel of the gun. The bluing process only affects the outside of the gun. Everything else inside of the gun is metal. However the name ‘bluing” doesn’t quite fit well with the outcome of the gun’s new black coat.

Actually pretty informative!

To suggest that a black coating over guns is ONLY for economic purposes would be silly. There is some metaphorical reason as to why guns are black, however I can only speculate that it is because the color black is feared. Black screams stealth, power, and panic. Shooters want to be feared, whether feared from an animal or a human being.

Columbine was the one of the first school shootings in America, and is tallied as one of the worst. Both shooters, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris shot and killed 12 people, and wounded over 20 on April 20, 1999. They both had with them multiple weapons.

Guns used at Columbine.

Dylan had on him a: Intratec TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun, a Double-barrel Savage 311-D shotgun, and various knives and bombs.

Eric had on him: Hi-Point model 995 carbine rifle, pump-action Savage-Springfield 67H shotgun, and also had various knives and bombs on him.

They shot 188 rounds together that day.

They killed 12 people together that day.

Both Klebold and Harris wanted revenge that day; they had been bullied by some of their classmates, they also suffered from mental illness, and played violent video games. No one knows the exact trigger that set the two young students off when they decided to attack their school, but they were out for blood. They wanted to be feared and respected, and what better way to gain both from their fellow peers than pointing a black, ominous gun in the innocent faces of others?

Works Cited

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre#Journals_and_videos

http://www.acolumbinesite.com/weapon.html

https://riversong.wordpress.com/the-guns-of-columbine/

http://www.history.com/topics/columbine-high-school-shootings

http://faculty.washington.edu/qtaylor/a_us_history/1800_1900_timeline.htm

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/technique/gun-timeline/

http://www.nramuseum.org/gun-info-research/a-brief-history-of-firearms.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNYIJPwqbdA

https://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0057.htmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluing_(steel)