Gun Culture USA: Where It Comes From and Why It Won't Go Away

Why don't gun-control measures work in the United States? The answer lies in history-in the swift justice meted out in early American settlements, a system of vigilantism unique in world history.

Author Toni Hart, whose own family faced organized community vigilantism, traces America's deeply ingrained gun culture back to frontier settlements. As the United States expanded westward, small farming communities grew up without access to law enforcement. Until the legal system caught up with the frontier, these small settlements were left to protect themselves against violence and criminal acts.

In such an environment, horse theft was almost as serious a crime as murder-the loss of a horse could ruin a farming family. For protection and intimidation, horse thieves worked in gangs. Organized vigilante justice was the only way communities had to respond.

Every state in the nation has a history of vigilantism. Hart traces US vigilantism from its early beginnings to the Ku Klux Klan's militant activities, the Texas gang wars, and the California gold rush. In doing so, she explains the surprising origins of gun culture and why attempts at gun control in the United States will always encounter stiff resistance.