"For America, the gun is a story of innovation, power, violence, character, and freedom. From the founding of the nation to the pioneering of the West, from the freeing of the slaves to the urbanization of the twentieth century, our country has had a complex and lasting relationship with firearms. Now, in First Freedom, nationally syndicated columnist and veteran writer David Harsanyi explores the ways in which firearms have helped preserve our religious, economic, and cultural institutions for over two centuries. From Samuel Colt's early entrepreneurism to the successful firearms technology that helped make the United States a superpower, the gun is inextricably tied to our exceptional rise. In the vein of popular histories like Salt and Seabiscuit, Harsanyi takes you on a captivating and thrilling ride of Second Amendment history that demonstrates why guns are not only an integral part of America's past, but also an essential part of its future" -- From the publisher.

Prologue : from prey to predator -- Part I. New Worlds. First contact -- Pilgrim's progress -- Powder alarm -- "Fire!" -- The finest marksman in the world -- Liberty's teeth -- Freedom's guarantee -- Part II. Discovery. Go west -- Peacemaker -- Bullet -- Those newfangled gimcrackers -- Fastest gun in the west -- The showman -- Part III. Modernity. Hellfire -- An American in London -- American genius -- The Chicago typewriter -- Great arsenal of democracy -- Fall and rise of the sharpshooter -- Peace dividends -- The great argument -- Conclusion : Molon Labe.