The evolution of automatic weapons is one of the most significant developments in weapons history. While this development has been filled with disagreements, controversy, and stray hurdles, out of all of this tumult, shouting, and shooting has come the progress in firearms from the days when it was necessary to build a fire under a gun to make it go off to the “you press the button and they do the work” automatic firearms of the present day. In 1941, Melvin M. Johnson Jr. and Charles T. Haven, both well-established experts on firearms and ammunitions in their day, commemorated this development in Automatic Arms: Their History, Development and Use. The topics on which they illuminate the reader include: History and development How they work How to keep them firing How they may be employed in combat In the authors’ foreword, they state, “There has been a great deal of general discussion about various automatic weapons pro and con, and naturally there have been misunderstandings and misinterpretations.” They succeed immensely in their endeavor to clear up misunderstandings and misinterpretations with the clear, concise language they use in discussing this most notable of historical developments. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

This book follows in the footsteps of many past conflicts from around the world and introduces the reader to the many different types of automatic/machine gun weapons used in those conflicts. Having travelled around the world visiting museums and battle sites and actually seeing, touching and in some cases firing some of the weapons included in this book provided me with some solid insights into their service through many different theatres of war. In most cases, you will find references to the weapon's history, their service period and specifications, as well as other interesting information that I have collected over the years.

"The series of books entitled "The machine gun" was begun with the belief that the next best thing to actual knowledge is knowing where to find it. The research summarized within the covers of these volumes has been compiled by the Bureau of Ordinance, Department of the Navy, in order to place in the hands of those rightfully interested in the art of automatic weapon design, the world's recorded progress in this field of endeavor."--Vol. II, p. v.

Examines the impact of gun control measures, including a firearms ban on reducing the incidence of violent crime and accidental shootings in Hawaii. Sections: a right to bear arms -- for what purpose?; firearms bans: are they effective? (examines California, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, and international comparisons); impact of firearms ban on law enforcement; federal firearms control law and recent legislation. Tables. Prepared by state of Hawaii; valuable for all States.