Citation

Lind G. War Hist. 2021; 28(3): 485-503.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0968344519896814

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Light firearms were a challenge for governments during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They not only were necessary in war but also posed a risk of poaching, crimes, and rebellion. Early modern gun control is often seen through the lens of social and political factors. This article highlights how the needs of war could constrain the desire to control. In the Danish case, military need completely reversed a trend towards less demand for popular armament and more restrictions on the guns of ?common men?. This happened despite the existence of a large regular army and despite an aristocratic political system.

Language: en