Hi Western readers!

Glad to meet you!

I’m just about done writing my new historical series, “Texas Star of Destiny.” This series covers the years 1821-1847 in of course TEXAS! I’ve always felt a connection with Texas, probably because I was born in El Paso. My dad was a West Texan and my stepdad was from East Texas. My mom evidently had a “thing” for Texans!

Anyway, the books in this series are The Desires of Her Heart, Her Inheritance Forever, and Her Abundant Joy. Each book covers a generation of the Quinn family and an historic Texas event: The beginning of the Austin settlement, the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War.

I’ve always been fascinated by the effect of war on civilization. Wars are often called the locomotives of history. Under the pressure of war, men become very creative. And the truth is that the army with the best weapons wins. The Mexican American was won by the Colt 45. And I’m going to let my hero Carson Quinn explain to Niven, a young American officer who has attached himself to the Texas Rangers who scouted for General Zachary Taylor.

Amidst the cover of low bushes and high grass, Carson sat cross-legged under a popple tree and began cleaning his guns. First the rifle, then the two Colts—as he thought over all that had happened tonight and over this year.

Niven lumbered over, looking saddle-sore and exhausted.

“How do you like being a Ranger?” Carson murmured.

“Not much.” Niven leaned against the tree, looking as if after riding sixteen hours a day for days, he didn’t dare sit down. “How long have you been at this?”

“Six years.”

“Is the pay good?”

“We get paid sometimes. When Texas could afford to.”

Niven stared at him. Finally, he said, “I’ve never seen pistols like those. What are they?”

Carson went on reloading. “Only a few of us have these. We could use more. These are Walker Colt 45’s. Samuel Colt designed the first one. Our own Ranger Walker saw that it was just what we needed here in Texas, but it required a few changes to be more practical. So a few years ago, Walker went back east, found Samuel Colt and showed him what we needed.”

Carson held the gun in his palm. “See before, I would have had to take the gun apart to reload, the trigger kept disappearing into the gun and the pistol was too clumsy to get out easy.”

Wobbly, Niven leaned over, inspecting the gun. “Why haven’t I heard of such a weapon?”

Carson shrugged. “It’s been a life saver for us. Before we got these, we were at a disadvantage fighting the Comanche. We had single-shot rifles or pistols to their arrows. And a Comanche can shoot a full quiver of arrows into a man while he tries to reload.”

“You wear a bow and have a quiver,” Niven pointed out.

“Yes, I’m good with a bow.” I’m good at most ways of killing men. This thought shriveled inside him. “And I use a bow sometimes if the raid goes on where I need to reload and don’t have time.”

“I have a lot to learn. And I want one of those Colts. How do I get one?”

“Well, why not ask Taylor?”

“I will.” Niven wavered on his feet.

“You better go lay down before you fall down.”

Niven nodded and then staggered a few feet away. As soon as his head touched his blanket, he fell asleep facedown.

So Niven asks Taylor to order some Colts. He orders 1,000 and that’s how the Colt won the Mexican American War!

BTW, my December release is, Her Captain’s Heart, my first Love Inspired Historical and the first in my “Gabriel Sisters” series about three Quaker Sisters who are up to any challenge!

Order a copy from amazon:The Desires of Her Heart (Texas: Star of Destiny, Book 1)

I’m slow this morning but I PROMISE I wrote this yesterday and had it saved and scheduled. So I messed up somehow and I’m sorry. Me and computers…NOT an easy co-existance.

I remember a cable special, the History Channel I think, about The History of the Gun and it was so interesting, especially how ancient the gun really was and how each new patent, improving it, made the creator a fortune.

The one I remember best was the one BEFORE the Matchlock gun. The shooter had to light a little pile of gunpower with a striker or match, so they were one handed, plus the little POOF of fire scared away whatever animal they were hunting for.

1364: First recorded use of a firearm - shooter lit wicks by hand that ignited gunpowder that was loaded into the gun barrel.

Contrary to popular belief, the Chinese did not use gunpowder only for fireworks. In fact, the earliest surviving recipes for gunpowder can be found in the Chinese military treatise Wujing zongyao of 1044 AD, which contains three: two for use in incendiary bombs to be thrown by siege engines and one intended as fuel for smoke bombs.

14th century China: The matchlock firearms were first mentioned in . The matchlock appeared in Europe some time in the mid-1400s, although the idea of the serpentine appears some 40 years previously in an Austrian manuscript. The first dated illustration of a matchlock mechanism dates to 1475, and by the 1500s they were universally used.

The Matchlock secured a lighted wick in a moveable arm which, when the trigger was depressed, was brought down against the flash pan to ignite the powder. This allowed the musketeer to keep both hands on the gun, improving his aim drastically.

1630: Flintlock guns - the flintlock did two things mechanically, it opened the lid of the flash pan and provided an igniting spark. Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. Introduced about 1630, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the matchlock and wheellock mechanisms. It continued to be in common use for over two centuries, replaced by percussion cap

1825: Percussion-cap guns invented by Reverend John Forsyth - firing mechanism no longer uses flash pan, a tube lead straight into the gun barrel, the tupe had an exposive cap on it that exploded when struck  The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzle-loading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.

The percussion cap system was made obsolete by:

1835: Colt revolver - first mass-produced, multi-shot, revolving firearms

Samuel Colt invented the first revolver, a gun named after its inventor “Colt”, and after its revolving cylinder “revolver”. In 1836, Samuel Colt was granted a U.S. patent for the Colt revolver, which was equipped with a revolving cylinder containing five or six bullets and an innovative cocking device.

Before the Colt revolver only one and two-barrel flintlock pistols had been invented for hand held use. Colt revolvers were all based on cap-and-ball technology until the Smith and Wesson license on the bored-through cylinder (bought from Rollin White) expired around 1869.

“Abe Lincoln may have freed all men, but Sam Colt made them equal.”

1873: Winchester rifle

One of the most successful, and certainly one of the most famous Winchester rifles was the Winchester Model 1873. The Winchester ‘73 was produced in such quantities that they became a common sight in the American West, leading to the rifle being nicknamed “The Gun that Won the West.”

In researching for a book I found out so much about the development of the gun that I gathered these milestone styles. The Winchester and Colt are a big part of many western novels and movies. There’s even a movie called Winchester ‘73.

Chime in if you’ve got a comment about the settling of the west and the part guns played in it.

The history of the gun tells the story of America.  At it’s most fundamental, the history of the gun is the history of freedom. And it illustrates why freedom is a thirst within each man and woman’s soul. Being set free unleashes the best in all of us. The story of freedom isn’t reflected by the gun itself, but by the ingeniuty behind it, the wealth to be made through it. This is why being allowed to work for our own best interests makes a better world for everyone.

All great inventions expand fastest under freedom and it’s partner capitalism. I could tell this same story about the car, the airplane, freeze dried food, oleo, Hamburger Helper, the computer, Starbucks. If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door. And that goes for everything a market can produce. There is great wealth to be made by hard work and creativity. And those are unleashed to their fullest with freedom.

1364: First recorded use of a firearm - shooter lit wicks by hand that ignited gunpowder that was loaded into the gun barrel.

Contrary to popular belief, the Chinese did not use gunpowder only for fireworks. In fact, the earliest surviving recipes for gunpowder can be found in the Chinese military treatise Wujing zongyao of 1044 AD, which contains three: two for use in incendiary bombs to be thrown by siege engines and one intended as fuel for smoke bombs.

14th century China: The matchlock firearms were first mentioned. The matchlock appeared in Europe some time in the mid-1400s, although the idea of the serpentine appears some 40 years previously in an Austrian manuscript. The first dated illustration of a matchlock mechanism dates to 1475, and by the 1500s they were universally used.

The Matchlock secured a lighted wick in a moveable arm which, when the trigger was depressed, was brought down against the flash pan to ignite the powder. This allowed the musketeer to keep both hands on the gun, improving his aim drastically.

1630: Flintlock guns - the flintlock did two things mechanically, it opened the lid of the flash pan and provided an igniting spark. Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. Introduced about 1630, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the matchlock and wheellock mechanisms. It continued to be in common use for over two centuries, replaced by percussion cap

1825: Percussion-cap guns invented by Reverend John Forsyth - firing mechanism no longer uses flash pan, a tube lead straight into the gun barrel, the tupe had an exposive cap on it that exploded when struck  The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzle-loading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.

The percussion cap system was made obsolete by:

1835: Colt revolver - first mass-produced, multi-shot, revolving firearms

Samuel Colt invented the first revolver, a gun named after its inventor “Colt”, and after its revolving cylinder “revolver”. In 1836, Samuel Colt was granted a U.S. patent for the Colt revolver, which was equipped with a revolving cylinder containing five or six bullets and an innovative cocking device.

Before the Colt revolver only one and two-barrel flintlock pistols had been invented for hand held use. Colt revolvers were all based on cap-and-ball technology until the Smith and Wesson license on the bored-through cylinder (bought from Rollin White) expired around 1869.

“Abe Lincoln may have freed all men, but Sam Colt made them equal.”

1873: Winchester rifle - One of the most successful, and certainly one of the most famous Winchester rifles was the Winchester Model 1873. The Winchester ‘73 was produced in such quantities that they became a common sight in the American West, leading to the rifle being nicknamed:

“The Gun that Won the West.”

We’ve talked about inventions before, but Memorial Day has given me a desire to talk about Freedom. I sometimes wonder if people today even know what Freedom truly is.

I listened to Bill Maher, long ago, I don’t listen anymore, mocking America and extolling the virtues of Cuba.

Never mind that, in Cuba, if he called the leaders horrible, denigrating names, he’d be arrested and shot. Never mind that he makes his LIVING with Freedom of Speech. To me, he was a man who didn’t know what Freedom was. He didn’t get that people, for over 225 years have died for his right to say anything, while people are imprisoned and executed in half the countries of the world for daring to oppose their leaders.

What does Freedom mean to you? Where is the balance between guns and safety and crime and Freedom?

Ben Franklin once said:

“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety,

deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

I know this:

America is the land of the Free and the home of the brave. But if we don’t start being a lot more brave we’re going to be a lot less Free.

Tell me, in the shadow of the just passed Memorial Day, the day to remember our deceased loved ones, but also to remember the price America has paid for Freedom, what Freedom means to YOU.