Guns have certainly been a part of American society since the very beginning; just the existence of the Second Amendment is proof of that.
But there's a debate to be had about the relative importance of guns over the last two centuries.
Historian Pamela Haag argues that guns became more important to people through effective marketing campaigns.
She focuses on the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, maker of many famous guns, in her book The Gunning of America. The author joins us for what figures to be a lively discussion.
