Nom de Forum
Member
And the answer is, "Yes, people were killed, and people tried to reduce the level of death by restricting the weapons used in the killings. For example, In 1139, Pope Innocent III and the second Lateran council outlawed the crossbow as a weapon causing unacceptable devastation."
That is just the tip of an iceberg we don't want to hit! Do not use historical references to defend the bearing of arms unless you are very carefully selective because it opens the door to valid historical documentation countering your argument. Through out much of history, arms control has been the policy of a small ruling class to control the majority. Even in our the recent past during our American right to keep and bear arms era some of our most cherished legends have a very anti-gun reality. Very strict Gun control is what many "Wild West" towns practiced. We have enough constitutional support, case law, and statistical support, that we can avoid relying on questionable and possibly detrimental historical references. We especially have to avoid using references to anything that is more romantic myth than historical fact.