Remember that when yours was written the most technologically advanced personal weapon was a flintlock rifle; Lagopus.....
The very same weapon that proved so superior to the smoothbore Brown Bess, and allowed freedom fighters to prevail against overwhelming numbers and resources. Remember King's Mountain, and Maj. Patrick Ferguson? Whipped by flintlock rifles, and woodsmen.
When the state of America's "gun control" has reached the pitiful state of your own, point your finger. But until then I don't think you have anything to gloat about. There are probably more handguns alone in the USA than there are total guns in the UK. O'Reilly used the number 100,000,000 total guns in the hands of Americans, last evening.
SRH