The Big Scare was pretty much the brainchild of the firearms/auumnition manufacturers. A great way to sell unprecedented numbers of new shotguns was to put fear into the minds of those who had been holding onto their trusty Damascus barreled shotguns. Invent a new powder but let it be known that this new, modern, far superior powder was too powerful for their old guns.....
It seems to have been very effective for nearly a century.
|