Professor Andrew McKevitt talks about his book, “Gun Country: Gun Capitalism, Culture, and Control in Cold War America.” America’s gun culture was not an inevitable outcome of the Second Amendment and Professor McKevitt explains why. Framing America’s obsession with guns as essentially a consumerist market, not unlike another other collectible or commodity, Prof. McKevitt uncovers one potential origin – post-War European military surplus. Samuel Cummings discovered the millions of decommissioned and salvaged arsenals sitting in warehouses throughout Europe. Cummings began buying these guns and selling them by mail for under 100 dollars. The proliferation of cheap guns upset American manufacturers and caught the attention of Federal regulators.
Andrew McKevitt is the John D. Winters Endowed Professor of History at Louisiana Tech University, his most recent book is Gun Country: Gun Capitalism, Culture, and Control in Cold War America.