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Founding Fathers and Repeating Firearms: Historical Evidence Debunks the Musket Myth | Blue Coat Arms

  • Writer: Hootey Cline
    Hootey Cline
  • Mar 5, 2021
  • 6 min read

Updated: Jul 2

Historical evidence proves the Founders knew exactly what they were doing

By Hootey

Cline, Blue Coat Arms Company Originally Published: March 5, 2021 | Updated July 1, 2025


One of the most persistent myths in the modern gun control debate is that our Founding Fathers "could never have conceived" of semi-automatic or repeating firearms when they drafted the Second Amendment in 1791. This argument attempts to dismiss constitutional protections by claiming technological ignorance on the part of men who were among the most innovative thinkers of their era.

The problem with this argument: It's demonstrably false.

As a gunsmith who works daily with both historical and modern firearms, I can tell you that the evidence overwhelmingly proves the Founding Fathers not only knew about advanced firearms technology – they actively encouraged its development.


Founding Fathers and Repeating Firearms: The Historical Evidence

Recent research continues to validate what historians have long known: repeating firearms existed well before the Second Amendment was ratified. Let's examine the documented evidence that destroys the "musket myth" once and for all.


The Puckle Gun (1718) – America’s First "Machine Gun"

Seventy-three years before the Bill of Rights was ratified, James Puckle patented what many consider the first machine gun. The "Defence Gun" was a tripod-mounted, flintlock revolver designed for ship defense, capable of firing 9 rounds per minute – three times faster than a trained soldier with a musket.

Key specifications:

  • 3-foot barrel with 1.25-inch bore

  • 6-11 round rotating cylinder

  • Two configurations: round bullets for Christians, square bullets for Turks (seriously)

  • Capable of firing shot loads containing 16 musket balls per discharge

While production was limited, the technology existed and was documented in British military records. The Founding Fathers, being well-educated men of their time, would have been aware of such innovations.


The Kalthoff Repeater (1600s) - Magazine-Fed Innovation

Even earlier, the Kalthoff family developed magazine-fed repeating rifles that could hold 7-30 rounds. These muzzle-loading rifles used two internal magazines – one for powder, one for balls – and could be reloaded by simply operating the trigger guard lever.

The mechanism was remarkably sophisticated:

  • Dual magazine system for powder and projectiles

  • Lever-action reloading

  • Capacity ranging from 7 to 30 rounds

  • Faster rate of fire than any military musket

These weren't theoretical weapons – they were manufactured and used throughout Europe during the 17th century.


The Belton Flintlock (1777) - Congressional Commission for Repeating Weapons

Here's where the "Founders didn't know" argument completely collapses: In 1777, fourteen years before the Second Amendment was ratified, the Continental Congress actually commissioned John Belton to build 100 repeating muskets for the Continental Army.

Belton's design could fire eight rounds with one loading, effectively doubling a soldier's firepower. Congress initially approved the order on May 3, 1777, but rescinded it on May 15th – not because the technology was impossible, but because Belton's price was too high.

The financial details tell the story:

  • Belton wanted £1000 per 100 muskets (about $171,884 in today's money)

  • Total cost for all 13 states would have been £13,000 ($2.2 million today)

  • Congress deemed this an "extraordinary allowance"

The crucial point: The Founding Fathers didn't reject Belton's repeating musket because they opposed advanced firearms technology – they rejected it because of cost.


The Girandoni Air Rifle (1779) – Jefferson’s Presidential Endorsement

Perhaps the most compelling evidence comes from President Thomas Jefferson himself. Jefferson equipped the Lewis and Clark expedition with Girandoni air rifles – .46 caliber, magazine-fed repeaters capable of firing 22 rounds in under a minute.

Performance specifications:

  • 20-round tubular magazine

  • Effective range: 125-150 yards

  • Virtually silent operation

  • No smoke signature

  • Could be reloaded while prone

Lewis and Clark routinely demonstrated this "assault weapon" to Native American tribes throughout their journey. Jefferson, who would later serve as President, clearly had no constitutional concerns about civilians possessing rapid-fire weapons.


The Constitutional Context

Understanding what the Founders knew about firearms technology fundamentally changes how we interpret the Second Amendment. They weren't writing about muskets – they were protecting the right to bear arms in the broadest sense.


The Original Intent

When the Founding Fathers wrote "shall not be infringed," they did so with full knowledge that:

  • Repeating firearms already existed

  • Military technology would continue advancing

  • Citizens needed effective means of defense

  • Government power required constitutional limits


The Technology Trajectory

The Founders were products of the Enlightenment – an era that celebrated scientific advancement and technological progress. The idea that they would write a constitutional amendment based on technological stagnation is historically absurd.

Consider their other innovations:

  • Benjamin Franklin's electrical experiments

  • Jefferson's architectural and agricultural innovations

  • The constitutional framework itself – a revolutionary governmental technology

These men understood that technology advances, and they wrote the Constitution to endure through those changes.


Modern Implications

This historical evidence has profound implications for contemporary gun policy debates:


The "Common Use" Standard

Supreme Court decisions like Heller and McDonald establish that the Second Amendment protects firearms "in common use" for lawful purposes. The historical record shows that rapid-fire, high-capacity weapons were not only known to the Founders – they were actively pursued by the military.


The Innovation Principle

The Founding Fathers' embrace of firearms innovation suggests they would view modern restrictions on semi-automatic rifles as exactly the type of government overreach the Second Amendment was designed to prevent.


From the Gunsmith's Perspective

Working with both historical and modern firearms daily, I see the clear technological progression from these early repeating weapons to today's semi-automatic rifles. The principles are identical – only the engineering has improved.

The fundamental mechanisms remain the same:

  • Magazine feeding systems

  • Rapid-fire capability

  • Precision manufacturing

  • Modular design concepts

At Blue Coat Arms Company, we restore firearms from every era, and the sophistication of 18th-century gunsmithing often surprises modern shooters. These weren't primitive weapons – they were precision instruments crafted by master artisans.


The Research Continues

Recent archaeological and historical research continues to uncover evidence of advanced firearms from the Founding era. Museums worldwide house examples of repeating weapons that predate the Constitution, and military records document their use and development.


What we know for certain:

  • Repeating firearms existed before 1791

  • The Founders were aware of this technology

  • Congress actively sought to acquire such weapons

  • No constitutional concerns were raised about civilian ownership


Conclusion: History Defeats Mythology

The argument that Founding Fathers "couldn't have conceived" of modern firearms technology is not just wrong – it's deliberately misleading. The historical record clearly shows that the men who wrote the Second Amendment were well aware of rapid-fire, high-capacity weapons and saw no constitutional problem with civilian ownership.

The real question isn't whether the Founders knew about "assault weapons" – it's whether modern politicians understand the Constitution they swore to uphold.

When gun control advocates claim the Founders "only knew about muskets," they're either ignorant of history or deliberately distorting it. The evidence is overwhelming: our Founding Fathers knew exactly what they were protecting when they wrote "shall not be infringed."

No matter your era, we got your six – whether you're carrying a Girandoni air rifle in 1804 or a modern semi-automatic rifle in 2025.


Sources and Further Reading

SOURCES

Puckle Gun

1. James H. Willbanks (2004). Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. p. 23.

2. "The Armoury of His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry". The University of Huddersfield.

3. Brown, M.L. (1980). Firearms in Colonial America: the impact on history and technology 1492-1792. Washington City: Smithsonian Inst. Pr. p. 239. ISBN 0874742900.

4. Willbanks, James H (2004). Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. p. 154. ISBN 1-85109-480-6.

5. George M. Chinn (1955). The Machine Gun: Design Analysis of Automatic Firing Mechanisms and Related Components, Volume IV, parts X and XI. Bureau of Ordnance, Department of the Navy, US Government Printing Office. p. 185.

6. "The 18th century". Intellectual Property Office. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014.

7. T.W. Lee (2008). Military Technologies of the World. ABC-CLIO. pp. 238–239. ISBN 978-0-275-99536-2.

8. Charles Ffoulkes, Lord Cottesloe (1937). The Gun-Founders of England: With a List of English and Continental Gun-Founders from the XIV to the XIX Centuries. Cambridge University Press. p. 34.

9. George M. Chinn (1951). The Machine Gun, History, Evolution and Development of Manual, Automatic and Airborne Repeating Weapons, Vol. 1. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 46.

Kalthoff Repeater

1. Harold L. Peterson The Book of the Gun Paul Hamlyn Publishing Group 1962

Belton Flintlock

1. Diamant, Lincoln (2004). Chaining the Hudson: The Fight for the River in the American Revolution. New York: Fordham University Press, p. 210.

2. Peterson, Harold Leslie (1956). Arms and Armor in Colonial America, 1526-1783. NY: Courier Corporation, pp. 217-218.

3. Belton's original letter to Congress, April 11, 1777- Wikisource

4. United States Continental Congress (1907). Journals of the Continental Congress. USGPO. pp. 324, 361.

5. Moller, George D. (1993). American Military Shoulder Arms: From the 1790s to the end of the flintlock period. University Press of Colorado.

6. Rivière, Peter. "London gun makers represented in the Pitt Rivers Museum collections". Pitt River Museum

7. Eric W. Nye, Pounds Sterling to Dollars: Historical Conversion of Currency, accessed Thursday, June 27, 2019, https://www.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm.

Girandoni Air Rifle

1. Wier, S.K. (2005). "The Firearms of the Lewis and Clark Expedition". p. 12.


Additional Resources:


Questions about historical firearms restoration or the constitutional implications of firearms technology? Contact Blue Coat Arms Company at 217-416-5962 or BlueCoatArms@gmail.com. We specialize in preserving the firearms heritage that our Founding Fathers understood and protected.


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