Firearm Regulations Plays Significant Role in the Echoed Bullet Incident Globally
In the days leading up to the American Revolution, a series of events unfolded in Boston that would forever alter the course of history. One of the most significant of these events was the confiscation of arms by General Thomas Gage, the British military commander in America.
On April 19, 1775, British Major John Pitcairn ordered the militiamen at Lexington's common to disperse and disarm. This order sparked the skirmish at Lexington, which was followed by the Redcoats marching on Concord, where they searched houses and destroyed arms.
In response to the armed resistance, Gage ordered the confiscation of the inhabitants' arms in Boston. On the same day as the arms surrender, Bostonians were told they could leave the town with passes, but procuring passes was difficult. This historical mistrust of government control of firearms among Americans is rooted in General Gage's confiscation and destruction of their arms.
The Declaration of Causes of Taking Up Arms, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson, protested Gage's seizure of arms as a violation of honor and the obligation of treaties. A proclamation was to be published inviting Americans to deliver up their arms by a certain date, and those found with arms afterwards would be considered rebels.
However, General Gage's promise that surrendered firearms would be returned to their owners was a lie. After the British army abandoned Boston, the surrendered arms stored in Faneuil Hall were found damaged or destroyed, with what was left being sold as replacement parts and scrap.
Sparked by these events, patriots outside of Boston mobilized. Militia Col. James Barrett's 15-year-old granddaughter, Meliscent, taught the other young women of the town how to assemble cartridges. In September 1775, a Virginia gentleman wrote that all were in arms, exercising and training old and young to the use of the gun.
General Gage's actions were not without consequence. The confiscation of the inhabitants' arms in Boston was a significant event after the shot heard 'round the world. It served as a catalyst for the mobilization of the American patriots and further solidified the mistrust of British rule.
General Burgoyne described the events at Lexington and Concord as an ambush where thousands of armed Americans attacked a detachment of the king's troops. During the British retreat back to Boston, the Americans ambushed them from houses and behind walls and hedges.
The historical mistrust of government control of firearms among Americans can be traced back to this event. The confiscation and destruction of the Bostonians' arms by General Gage served as a rallying cry for the American patriots, fueling their determination to fight for their rights and independence.
