May 15, 1718: A London lawyer, James Puckle, patents the world’s first machine gun. The lawyer was interested in defense and invented this gun, which was first demonstrated in 1718. The multi-shot gun was mounted on a tripod and could fire up to nine times per minute. It was a single barrel flintlock weapon fitted with a revolving cylinder. It was intended for use aboard ships. The barrel was three feet long and each cylinder held 11 charges. It could fire 63 shots in seven minutes while the best a man loading his own weapon could achieve was three shots per minute. There were two versions of the Puckle gun produced. One was for use on Christians while the other with square bullets was to be used against Muslims.
While this was the first machine gun patented, it was not adopted or produced. It did help with future designs of revolvers, however. In 1777 Philadelphia gunsmith Joseph Belton offered a “new improved gun” to the Continental Congress which could fire twenty shots in five seconds. Congress asked for a modified gun firing fewer times per minute but withdrew their order when the cost was too high. More refinements took place and by the mid-1800s there was a flurry of multi-shot guns being offered.
The Bill of Rights is intended to limit the government. PERIOD. The Second Amendment is intended to empower the people against an unreasonable government. It's not about defense against burglars or zombies or ninjas (ninja is a codeword for inner city people).
ReplyDeleteAmen!
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