Samuel Colt 1

Samuel Colt’s Peacemaker: The Advertising That Scared the West

Richard A Dillio

History of Media Technology

Professor R. Pugliese

Samuel Colt 2

ABSTRACT:

This paper undertakes a thorough examination of the Colt Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing

Company’s various firearm advertisements from the years between 1850 and 1933. Previous

content analysis in the field of firearm advertising is used to examine Colt’s advertisements, and

a terror/masculinity paradigm is presented in order to explain the tone, content and intent of

Colt’s advertisements for their products. The study of fear-appeals is used to describe the

narration of these various advertisements, with the conclusion reached that most handgun

promotions from this time period were fear-appeals, even when they do not appear to be

obviously so. Possible explanations for this include the public’s perceptions of handguns, and

Colt’s advertising techniques. Applications for modern firearm advertisement content analysis

are suggested.

Samuel Colt 3

The good people in this world are very far from being satisfied with each other and my arms are the best

peacemaker. – Samuel Colt, 1852

Content analysis of gun advertisements and gun advertising history has been fairly rare. The

latter was examined, but only in the context of modern gun print ads from shooting and sporting

magazines (Saylor, Vittes, & Sorensen, 2004). The authors concluded that, despite the

perception that guns are used and sold for self-defense purposes, a majority of the ads focused

instead on lifestyle features and in-group dynamics. Ads specific to the self-defense purpose

were decidedly uncommon.

Another, more recent study sought to establish a coherent branding history among the so-

called “Big Four” of firearms: Colt, Remington, Winchester, and Smith and Wesson (Witkowski,

2011). The author clearly documents the rise of Colt, or The Colt Patent Fire Arms

Manufacturing Company, as it was completely written, from Samuel Colt’s patenting of his cap-

and-ball revolver, to the introduction of the Colt 1911 automatic pistol. Witkowski’s focus is on

the growth of the brand, but the paper also offers valuable insight into the advertising methods

used by the various gun manufacturers from the 1800s to the present.

The usage of fear-appeals (however subtle they may be) played a very important role in

the marketing of Colt’s handguns; little scholarly research has been conducted on fear-appeals in

firearm advertising, and even less on the history of this particular tactic. Scholarly research on

gun magazines like The American Rifleman has shown that the National Rifle Association has a

long and storied history of using fear-appeals, through the printing of their “The Armed Citizen”

column, since 1926 (O’Neill, 2007). While this work does not focus specifically on gun

manufacturers, it provides a valuable deconstruction of the NRA’s communication methods,

which will be applicable to studying fear-appeals as they appear in specific advertisements.

Samuel Colt 4

Finally, the scope of “gun advertisements” is large, and encompasses many

manufacturers. It is with Colt’s firearms and firearm advertisements that this research paper is

primarily concerned.

A Brief History of Colt’s Advertising

Samuel Colt, like all the major firearm manufacturers at the time, relied heavily on word-of-

mouth and product recognition in order to sell his guns. At one point, his factory was closed and

most of his equipment auctioned off, as sales of his new weapon had been extremely sluggish.

However, after a party of Texas Rangers used his revolver with great success in their fight

against Native American tribes, Colt was able to secure a contract with the federal government to

produce his new and improved “Walker” Colt. He then turned to Eli Whitney Jr. and together,

the two men designed and implemented a new manufacturing process to assemble his guns

(“Colt History,” 2012).

There are several interesting aspects of the Colt story that make it ideal for a historical

review of its advertising. The first reason has already been mentioned: Samuel Colt did not

invent the concept of the revolver, but he did perfect it. Prior to the introduction of the “Paterson

revolver” (another nickname for the first Colt gun, since it was made in Paterson, New Jersey),

there were other weapons that attempted to overcome the limitation of single-shot mechanisms,

the most widely known being the pepper-box revolver. These guns, instead of featuring a

cylinder that revolved, relied upon the barrel to rotate, necessitating multiple barrels (Silva,

2003). As a consequence, they were heavy, hard to load, and because they were not rifled like

Colt’s revolver, all but completely inaccurate unless at close range (Winant, 1952; Silva, 2003).

Thus, the pepper-box revolver’s limitations made the appearance of Colt’s new weapon a market

Samuel Colt 5

sensation, complete with the all of the attendant advertising one would expect for such a

breakthrough product. But skepticism of the new technology was pronounced, which helps to

explain Samuel Colt’s failure to find success in his first attempt at selling revolvers.

The quality of Colt’s new firearms offers another incentive to study their advertising,

insofar as Colt was quite often recognized as the best new handgun available (Rensseleaer, 1947;

Kephart, 1912). In addition to their popularity, Colt weapons were often touted as celebrity

weapons. Wilson (1985) notes that such iconic figures as Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid and Wild

Bill Hickock were proud owners of Colt’s revolvers.

A third reason for studying Colt has to do with its product line-up, and here the company

differs significantly from the other members of the “Big Four”: between 1836 and 1904, Colt

only produced two rifles. The first, Colt’s revolving rifle, was built on the same principles as the

revolving pistol: a cylinder held multiple rounds, and rotated through a single barrel. The second

rifle, produced in 1884, was known as the Colt Lightning Carbine. It was a pump-action firearm

chambered for the hefty and rather famous .44-40 Winchester round, so named for the

Winchester Repeating Arms company who introduced it with their Model 1873 repeating rifle

(Wilson, 1985). In both cases, however, Colt’s rifles were never very popular, and they were

frequently passed over in favor of Winchester, Henry and Spencer repeating rifles (Rensselaer,

1947).

It is important to note that, when Samuel Colt first introduced his Paterson revolver, guns

were viewed as either self-defense weapons for combat or tools for hunting. Accordingly, none

of the early advertisements relate the abilities of the Colt revolver to anything other than their

performance in combat or out in the field. This is a strikingly different approach compared to

modern gun advertisements, as previously discussed (Saylor, Vittes & Sorensen, 2004). For

Samuel Colt 6

example, the term “hunting rifle” and “assault rifle” are both used frequently in modern

conversations about gun control and advertising, but prior to 1970 the latter term simply did not

exist in America (Exhibit 30). This does not mean that all guns were used for all things. But as

Curtis notes, the multipurpose nature of most guns made them suitable for a variety of roles. The

Springfield .30-06, for example, was originally designed as a combat weapon for American use

during WWI. But through the National Rifle Association, the weapon was touted as a great

sporting rifle that required only a little bit of retooling (Curtis, 1922). The quick transition from

combat weapon to hunting rifle (and even back again) was nothing new to American shooters.

To the frontiersman or cattle rancher, and throughout most of American history, the hunting rifle

and the battle rifle were one in the same.

In the late 19th

century, gun manufacturers started designing and selling products based

on their merits as sporting weapons (Kephart, 1912) but Colt was largely absent from this part of

the business (Curtis, 1922). A Colt catalog from 1922 shows a complete lack of any rifle; the

entire Colt production point at this time was made of revolvers and automatic pistols (“Colt’s

Revolver,” 1923).

In Curtis’ seminal work on sporting firearms, the only time a recommendation for a Colt

weapon is made occurs in the chapter titled “Choosing the Pistol” (Curtis, 1922). He breaks

down the possible uses for a pistol into five categories: pocket and home defense guns, target

pistols, meat-getters, man-killers, and general purpose weapons. Under these categories, he

suggests the .380 Colt as a home defense weapon because of its ease of use for women. He does

not think much of target pistols, but recommends the Colt .22 nonetheless, and also recommends

it as the premier meat-getting pistol for small game at camp (though again he eschews the use of

a pistol at all for camping purposes, preferring instead to rely on a rifle).

Samuel Colt 7

Curtis’ thoughts on the Colt .45 automatic are simple and direct, and they speak for

themselves:

“As a killer to knock down a dangerous man and keep him down, there is no gun on par

with the Colt Government .45 calibre automatic. This brute was designed with one idea

in view, to kill and kill quickly the most dangerous game on this earth, an armed man

with blood in his eyes” (p. 47).

Of general purpose weapons, Curtis once against suggests the Colt – The Colt Single Action

chambered for the .32-30 cartridge. He admits that it underperforms as a combat weapon, but its

shortcomings are erased in light of the fact that it is extremely safe to use when mounted, since it

is almost impossible to fire it accidentally.

It is clear that authors, who were extremely knowledgeable about firearms and writing

from the late 19th

and early 20th

centuries, largely agreed that Colt’s handguns were some of the

best weapons money could buy. Of their rifles, many sportsmen and hunters had nothing nice to

say. But their handguns were considered top-notch, reliable and extremely powerful in the

higher calibers. A study of Colt’s advertising is, therefore, a study of the most popular and

respected handgun at the time, and perhaps in all of American history.

Finally, some explanation on ammunition is required. Two advertisements (Exhibit 26 &

28) show the price for a box of 1,000 .45 caliber rounds to be approximately $19.00. Adjusted

for inflation, that is around $505.00 in 2011. Considering that the average wage earner in 1900

made about $5,700 per year (Fisk, 2003), this is a not insignificant amount of money to be

spending on ammunition; in fact, even in 1903 the various Colt revolvers were selling in a range

between $5 and $11 (Exhibit 8).

Samuel Colt 8

Ammunition was fairly expensive, both as a percentage of income but also as continuing

cost for the weapon itself. This could explain the eventual rise in smaller caliber ammunitions

like the .22, which as an example was used in the “Camp Perry” target pistol developed by Colt

in the 1920s (Exhibit 1923). This ammunition would have been cheaper to manufacture,

therefore cheaper to purchase and more likely to be used in sufficient quantity by the target

shooter to be cost effective. It bears noting that the above Camp Perry model was the first

advertisement that specifically mentions target shooting as a purpose for purchasing the gun.

Curtis (1922) and the Colt Revolver and Automatic Pistol Catalog (1923) both discuss Colt’s

target shooting weapons, however, and target shooting as a competition was by this time

centuries old.

Content Analysis and Fear-Appeals

Curtis’ delineations of Colts combined with Colt’s participation in the handgun market at

the expense of other weapons, makes studying Colt's line-up both simpler and more

representative than studying other three major producers of the time. The study by Saylor et al.

(2004) relied on content analysis to examine printed gun advertisements. Interestingly, they

noted that the self-defense style of advertisement was used quite infrequently, but they also state

that they made no distinction between types of weapons: “themes used by advertisers may differ

between handguns and long guns; the present study did not examine differences by type of

firearm” (p. 431).

Several of these content categories therefore have less explanatory power when they are

applied with a specific type of firearm in mind, and they are listed here: hunting/outdoors,

Samuel Colt 9

patriotism, combat, western/cowboy, testimonial, history, law enforcement, and self-protection

(Saylor, Vittes & Sorensen, 2004, p. 426).

An examination of these categories reveals that certain guns are naturally going to fall

within certain categories, and also be excluded from others. A lever-action rifle, very often used

as a hobby or hunting gun, is not going to appear in a law enforcement advertisement. Similarly,

most handguns will not be featured in a hunting advertisement, since they are primarily designed

for the purpose of self-defense or occasionally, target shooting. Shotguns, which are very

versatile and offered in a variety of configurations to suit hunting, law enforcement, target

shooting and self-defense, have a chance of being advertised under all of these categories.

Saylor et al.’s approach is therefore a problematic because it is precisely this difference –

that is, studying not only the ads but the type of gun being advertised – that stands to change the

entire tone of the advertisement. Further, it is at this point where the examination of the ads as

specific fear-appeals becomes necessary, because as will be revealed by a close examination of

Colt’s promotional material, many handgun ads rely on rather basic appeals to fear, safety and

defense.

In its most basic sense, a fear-appeal is an act of persuasion that relies on scaring people

into behaving a certain way, usually by describing what will happen to them if they fail to do as

the appeal demands (Witte, 1992). Fear appeals are very common in areas of public discourse,

from politics to public health (Innocenti, 2011). However, according to at least one author the

usage and effects of fear-appeals in commercial advertising are not clearly understood (Tanner,

2006), perhaps because they are a risky proposition for most companies.

O’Neill (2007) has shown how the NRA’s “The Armed Citizen” column present in their

flagship magazine is essentially a soapbox for fear-appeals, though in this analysis the author

Samuel Colt 10

studies “how individuals achieve masculinity through performing heroic acts amid terror-filled

struggles” (p. 458) as described in their “The Armed Citizen” stories. In essence, the NRA is

using what could be called “stealth” fear-appeals; these stories are not advertisements, since they

are provided by the magazine’s readers and contributors. But they are aimed at supporting the

mythos of the self-reliant man, by constructing rhetoric that relies on American cultural

conceptions of both terror and masculinity. By upholding this pervasive cultural narrative, the

NRA’s magazine is making a positive statement about the presence of firearms in the United

States, but also makes a value judgment on those persons who use them for self-defense.

So while these stories are not advertisements for specific firearms, they are

advertisements for gun ownership, as they follow the basic structure of a fear-appeal laid out by

Witte (1992). The stories present a terrifying circumstance, and then describe how an armed

person was able to overcome the situation and save themselves or their loved ones, usually from

such horrific crimes as rape or murder. The implication in all of these accounts is that the

firearm used by the law-abiding citizen was the determining factor in ensuring their eventual

triumph over their assailant. The suggestion – at this point by no means muted – is that the only

way to be completely safe (from what, exactly, is left to the reader’s imagination) is to own a

firearm and be willing to use it in your own defense.

O’Neill (2007) asserts that the NRA’s stance helps to create a social “Gun Control

Paradox”: a situation where a large portion of the US citizenry wishes for more stringent gun

controls, but a relatively small organization (the NRA) is routinely successful in overriding this

desire through legislative action, very often through fear-appeals. At least one study suggests

that this not paradoxical, however. Research has shown that strong fear-appeals are not viewed

as unethical by consumers if they perceive that the suggested method for alleviating the fear-

Samuel Colt 11

inducing circumstance is going to be effective (Snipes, LaTour & Bliss, 1999). In other words,

the NRA – and by extension, the gun industry – has a somewhat easy time of convincing the

public that firearms are necessary for self-defense, even those people who might favor stricter

policies for gun regulation. Putting aside the terrifying stories found “The Armed Citizen,” it

seems almost instinctive to human beings that we understand a weapon can, in certain

circumstances, keep us safe. This is not a revolutionary claim.

All of these points create a framework by which to examine firearm advertisements,

specifically by viewing them as potential fear-appeals. O’Neill’s terror/masculinity theory is

particularly useful because these themes appear quite frequently Colt’s older advertisements.

Examining the Ads

The time period selected for the examination of advertisements encompasses the early

1850s to 1933. The former date was chosen because this was the earliest advertisement for Colt

that could be found. While there are likely ones earlier than this, they remain difficult to find.

The year 1933 was chosen as the end point because it is considered the lowest point of the

American Great Depression (Samuelson, 2012) when the output of the American economy was

at its lowest. Spending on consumer goods would remain low until the recovery that was

brought on by several things, not the least of which was World War II – which then saw a halt in

production of firearms for civilians as gun makers were placed on war-production footing

(Exhibit 29).

The very first Colt advertisements may not even be advertisements, per se, but

announcements. Exhibit 1 contains very little text, but instead present pictures of engraving and a

very basic exploded view of the revolver itself. Exhibit 2 follows the same pattern, but this is

Samuel Colt 12

actually two different pages, the first announcing the “Pocket Pistol” which was a cap-and-ball

design meant for easy concealment. The term “Pocket” in various iterations is used in several of

Colts’ gun names, for example the Pocket Positive that is shown in the 1922 catalog previously

mentioned. Another poster puts the date of an identical ad at 1855 (Exhibit 5), though it is a

reproduction. The second half of Exhibit 2 shows exploded views of both Colt’s Paterson

revolver and the comparatively rare Revolving Rifle. Exhibit 3 is a descriptive-type

advertisement that attempts to explain the benefits of Colt’s weapons, with the traditional heavy

reliance on the US government’s use of their pistols as market currency. There are also some

interesting turns of phrase in this ad, such as “Treat them well and they will treat your enemies

badly” and “If you buy a Colt Rifle or Pistol, you feel certain that you have one true friend with

six hearts in his body […].” The appeals to self-defense are obvious, made all the more forceful

through their straightforward language. This begins a trend of directly referring to the guns’

most important purpose, that of a combat weapon. Exhibit 6 is another example of a general

advertisement, found in the Semi Weekly Raleigh Register in 1861.

Exhibit 7 is an early advertisement for one of Colt’s first Automatic Pistols. The

difference in design between this weapon and the revolver is obvious, and it had many added

benefits over the revolver, to include an increased rate of fire, easier reloading, and ease of use.

The ad bills the weapon as “Browning” because Colt developed its automatic pistol from a patent

first filed by John M. Browning, who would eventually go on to design the weapon for Colt

(Sheldon, 1987).

It is worth noting that the advertising strategy of Colt did not seem to change after the

introduction of the pistol. Of all the ads collected for this research, eight of them appearing after

Exhibit 7 are still for revolvers (Exhibits 8, 11, 12, 17, 20, 21, 23 & 25), and eight are for the

Samuel Colt 13

new automatic pistol (Exhibits 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 22, & 24). Two of them (Exhibits 18

and 27) feature both revolvers and automatics. It seems that even though the new Colt automatic

pistol was a technical marvel, there was still plenty of market space for the revolver.

Exhibits 9, 10, 11 and 12 are all product “feature” ads, in that they are touting the various

attributes of a Colt: concealability, power, reliability, and power again, respectively. These all fit

under Saylor et al.’s content categories for “Attribute of the Gun” theme (2004), but when

applied to older advertising the “Attributes of the Gun” theme collapses into the “Self-

Protection” theme. All aspects of these ads, while they are silent on the specific uses for their

respective weapons, are still insinuating what the weapons uses are in reality. Why advertise

concealability and the gun’s small size unless you are suggesting it is easy to hide, presumably to

carry around with you? Further, the only reason to advertise power and reliability are to focus

the reader’s attention onto the gun as a weapon, i.e. a self-defense measure.

Exhibit 14 and Exhibit 15 are both self-defensive in nature, though the latter is more

subtle in suggesting the weapon’s use. This is a good example of where Saylor et al.’s (2004)

content categories would seem useful at first glance, but the content category collapses again.

Exhibit 14 is quite clearly an ad designed to sell the weapon on self-defense grounds. Exhibit 15

appears to be a technical ad but really, it too is a self-defense ad because it specifically mentions

putting the weapon on your person. The unspoken assumption here is that carrying a weapon on

your person is for personal protection.

Exhibit 13 presents an interesting classification, since it is an announcement that the Colt

1911 model pistol was selected by the US government as the standard side arm for the US armed

forces. Under Saylor’s model, this ad would appear under “Patriotism”, but also under

“Testimonial” and perhaps even “Combat.”

Samuel Colt 14

Exhibits 16, 17 and 18 are all self-defensive as well, with 16 being particularly interesting

due to its depiction of a woman placing the .32 caliber weapon into her handbag. 17 and 18 are

focused on protection – home protection, and automobile/personal protection. Another

interesting factor with these ads and several others is the phrase “You can’t forget to make it

safe.” Saylor et al. (2004) reported that a surprisingly small amount of gun ads in their study

mentioned anything about safety, whereas most Colt advertisements do exactly that. One

possible explanation for this is that in this age of gun manufacturing, there are no modern guns

on the market without both a safety and significant safety features built in. To use an analogy, it

would be like a modern car advertisement failing to mention that the vehicle in question comes

with a laminated safety glass windshield. This failure is not an indictment of the car or

advertising, nor does it say anything noteworthy. It does not bear mentioning because every car

has one.

Exhibits 19, 20, 21 and 22 are all self-defensive in theme, and in fact the latter three

feature the world “Protection” across the top, prominently. This was a noteworthy set of ads

because they all appeared in the 1920s era immediately following World War I. We can wonder

why there was such a focus on protection – especially of the home – but exhibit 19 gives a

possible explanation for the feeling, “a spirit of restlessness . . . besetting us for a time [. . .]”

The aim of the advertisement is clear, as it tries to tie the world-wide war fatigue into the psyche

of the American homeowner. The focus on homeowners may be owed to the incline in

homeownership in the 1920s, which saw a substantial increase after the end of the World War

(“Historic Census,” 2011).

Exhibits 23 and 24 depart from the theme of self-protection. The “Camp Perry” model

target pistol was a new area of business for Colt, being specifically designed for target shooting.

Samuel Colt 15

The Colt Officer’s Model was often used as a target shooting gun (Curtis, 1922; Colt Revolvers,

1923), owing to its cheap ammunition, but this was a single-shot variant meant to put a single

round at a time down-range with as much accuracy as possible. Exhibit 24 advertises a new

product, so like the automatic pistol announcement (Exhibit 7) and the early Paterson revolver

announcements (Exhibits 1 and 2), the entire focus of the ad is on the technical specification of

the weapon; in this case, that the gun is identical to the tried-and-true Colt 1911, but in a smaller

caliber round that made it more appealing to hunters – Curtis’ “meat-getters” – and target

shooters, owing to the round’s much higher velocity. Though once again, this is a claim of

which several authors of the time were doubtful (Curtis, 1922; Kephart, 1912; Van Rensselaer,

1947).

Finally, Exhibits 25 and 27 are both once again personal protection ads, though they

focus specifically on the defense of property. The first is the “Banker’s Special,” featuring the

.22 long rifle round. “Banker” here means exactly what it suggests, and the gun was marketed to

those people who stood behind counters and were responsible for large sums of money. The gun

features a surprisingly graphic picture of the bullet’s effect on a bar of soap, which supposedly

has “the same resistance as flesh.” The smaller caliber is admitted to up front, with the

suggestion that it packs the “wallop” of a .38. Here, Colt is trying to balance the demand for

stopping power against the need to keep the gun compact. Exhibit 27 is another example of the

protection motif, in a similar vein to Exhibit 18. The ad is a testimonial style, centered on the

protection of property.

Samuel Colt 16

Discussion

Several aspects of these advertisements lend themselves to comment. O’Neill’s

terror/masculinity paradigm is prominent in many of these ads. Exhibits 15-18 and exhibit 20

are all filled with the familiar tropes of masculinity: emphasis on protection, the importance of

the family’s safety, and the guarding of the man’s “castle.” Exhibits 18 and 27 could have been

ripped right from the NRA’s “The Armed Citizen” column, as they both put the emphasis on the

man protecting life or property from rampaging thugs or thieves. The terrifying situation is

narrated to the reader, and then the quick-thinking man – armed with his trusty Colt – offers a

testimonial regarding how the weapon ended the situation. It is interesting to note that these ads

appear long before the The American Rifleman began running their column.

More broadly, it seems obvious that most of the advertisements researched here are, in

some way or another, fear-appeals. It has been made clear that most of the advertisements for

Colt handguns had, if not an explicit theme of self-defense, at least an implicit one. Even in the

ads where self-defense is not mentioned, attributes of the gun themselves are mentioned, and

most of the time these attributes are instrumental in making the weapon suitable for self-defense.

Exhortations to buy a gun for self-defense are ultimately made through fear-appeals, since the

best way to convince someone they need to buy a gun is to first convince them that they are a

potential victim.

It is therefore reasonable to state that the unique nature of handguns will require most

advertising for them to eventually boil down to a fear-appeal. In fact, it is safe to theorize that

every handgun ad is a self-defense ad (and therefore a fear-appeal) by default, unless the

advertisement specifically and explicitly avoids the topic by describing a unique use for the gun

outside of self-defense, such as the advertisement for the .22 Camp Perry model.

Samuel Colt 17

Studying the historical trends of these advertisements therefore demands that the

approach to thematic content analysis of gun advertisements must take into account the type of

gun being advertised. Handgun ads are operating under a unique set of implicit narrative rules

because the uses of a handgun are generally known to be more specific than those of a rifle or a

shotgun. If Samuel Colt’s advertising is any guide, handguns are marketed from a self-defense

angle because of the natural assumption of what a handgun will be used for. This is true even

when the purpose of the weapon is not explicitly stated in the ad copy itself. With this theory in

mind, the content categories offered by Saylor et al. (2004) require some revision, or at the very

least, careful consideration if they are going to be used to analyze handgun ads, whether

contemporary or historical.

There is every reason to believe that such a phenomenon is prevalent in modern handgun

advertising, and so this research has modern applications. A Gallup poll conducted in 2005

revealed that for Americans, the three reasons respondents owned guns were divided equally

among protection, target shooting and hunting (“Gun Ownership,” 2005). It is reasonable to

suggest that those people looking to a gun for protection will look to the handgun first, so the

lack of overt references to defense in modern gun advertising, as reported by Saylor, is not

surprising.

Conclusion

It is clear that studies of gun culture in American history require a thorough and nuanced

approach, with special consideration given to how guns were viewed by both producers and

consumers. In the case of advertising, Colt’s history suggests that fears for personal safety were

common in the early days of gun manufacturing. Indeed, anyone wishing to study the current

Samuel Colt 18

climate of gun politics in the United States should consider that the gun industry’s reliance on

fear-appeals is not new. It is in some cases more blatant, but as demonstrated there were several

historical print ads that were quite explicit, whether they detailed horrific stories or illustrated a

bullet penetrating flesh.

A potential area for further inquiry would be an examination of the other major gun

manufacturer’s advertising. Winchester – known for their repeating rifles – also made handguns,

but a thorough study could reveal a different advertising strategy, since rifles were their “bread

and butter.” In addition, a study in the shift of Colt’s advertising after they lost the US

Department of Defense’s handgun contract could reveal a changing of tactics, since they could

no longer rely on their status as a provider of government arms.

Samuel Colt 19

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Sheldon, D. (1987). A collectors guide to colt's 38 automatic pistols: The production of the

automatic colt pistol. Quick Vend Publishing.

Silva, L., (2003), When it comes to popular firearms used in the early west, pepperboxes are

nothing to sneeze at. Wild West. 16(1), p58.

Snipes, R. L., LaTour, M. S., & Bliss, S. J. (1999). A model of the effects of self-efficacy on the

perceived ethicality and performance of fear appeals in advertising. Journal of Business

Ethics, 19(3), 273-285. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.rit.edu/

docview/198102134?accountid=108

Tanner, J. (2006). Read this or die: a cognitive approach to an appeal to emotions. International

Journal Of Advertising, 25(3), 414-416.

Wilson, R. (1985). Colt: An american legend. New York: Abbeville Publishing Group

Winant, L. (1952). Pepperbox firearms. New York: Greenberg. Retrieved from

http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015001062358

Van Rensselaer, S. (1947). American firearms: an histology of american gunsmiths, arms

manufacturers & patentees with detailed description of their arms. Watkins Glen:

Century House. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015020809045

Samuel Colt 21

Pictures:

Exhibit 1 Colt 1850s (1): http://www.connhistory.org/wwsevis_reading.htm

Exhibit 2 Colt 1850s (2): http://www.connhistory.org/wwsevis_reading.htm

Exhibit 3 Colt 1858: http://www.connhistory.org/wwsevis_reading.htm)

Exhibit 4 Colt 1860: http://gunslingersgulch.com/index.php?topic=246.0

Exhibit 5 Colt 1855: http://www.cornellpubs.com/old-guns/item_desc.php?item_id=1092

Exhibit 6 Colt 1861: Semi Weekly Raleigh Register (http://mitchellarchives.com/front-page-

advertisement-for-sam-colt-firearms.htm)

Exhibit 7 Browning 1900s: Source Unknown

Exhibit 8 Colt 1903: http://www.smithandwessonforums.com/forum/armory/2366-1903-sears-

catalog-always-cool-gun-stuff-view.html

Exhibit 9 Colt 1904: http://www.coltautos.com/mmst_i.htm

Exhibit 10 Colt 1905: http://www.coltautos.com/1905ci_advertisements.htm

Exhibit 11 Colt 1906: http://www.sodcity.com/gallery2/albums/Moulds-

etc/3100428729_937df092a2_o.jpg

Exhibit 12 Colt 1910: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/guns-ads-1910s

Exhibit 13 Colt 1911 Handbill: http://replicaairguns.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/screen-shot-

2012-04-30-at-6-57-36-pm.jpg

Exhibit 14 Colt 1911:http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/ads/sportsandguns/gunsandammo/

ColtAutomaticPistol-1911A.jpg.html

Exhibit 15 Colt 1912: http://www.zazzle.com/1912_colt_card-137673795000854439

Exhibit 16 Colt 1912(1): http://www.flickr.com/photos/46786167@N00/5229309087/

Exhibit 17 Colt 1913: http://www.tias.com/11382/PictPage/1922926198.html

Exhibit 18 Colt 1917: http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/ads/sportsandguns/

gunsandammo/Colt%20Firearms%20-1917A.jpg.html

Exhibit 19 Colt 1919: http://www.atticpaper.com/proddetail.php?prod=1919-colt-firearms-pistol-

ad

Samuel Colt 22

Exhibit 20 Colt 1920s: http://cdn100.iofferphoto.com/img2/item/132/556/811/

o_OPBoZNxZNuESr97.jpg

Exhibit 21 Colt 1920s(1): http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/ads/sportsandguns/

gunsandammo/Colt+Firearms+-1920_sA.jpg.html

Exhibit 22 Colt 1924: http://www.sodcity.com/gallery2/albums/Moulds-etc/1924_colt.jpg

Exhibit 23 Colt 1926: http://www.coltautos.com/DA/CampPerry/campperryci_Broadside.htm

Exhibit 24 Colt 1932: http://38super.net/Pages/History.html

Exhibit 25 Colt 1933: http://www.coltautos.com/DA/BankersSpecial/

bankersspecialci_22_Broadside.htm

Exhibit 26 Colt Ammunition: http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=39954.0

Exhibit 27 Colt Jeweler: http://www.sportingcollectibles.com/cphotos/c5269jewler.jpg

Exhibit 28 Winchester Ammo 1896:

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=39954.0

Exhibit 29 Winchester Hunting 1944: http://www.atticpaper.com/proddetail.php?prod=1942-

winchester-arms-ad-hunting-pays-off

Samuel Colt 23

Exhibit 1 Colt 1850s (1): http://www.connhistory.org/wwsevis_reading.htm

Samuel Colt 24

Exhibit 2 Colt 1850s (2): http://www.connhistory.org/wwsevis_reading.htm

Samuel Colt 25

Exhibit 3 Colt 1858: http://www.connhistory.org/wwsevis_reading.htm)

Samuel Colt 26

Exhibit 4 Colt 1860: http://gunslingersgulch.com/index.php?topic=246.0

Samuel Colt 27

Exhibit 5 Colt 1855: http://www.cornellpubs.com/old-guns/item_desc.php?item_id=1092

Samuel Colt 28

Exhibit 6 Colt 1861: Semi Weekly Raleigh Register (http://mitchellarchives.com/front-page-

advertisement-for-sam-colt-firearms.htm)

Samuel Colt 29

Exhibit 7 Browning 1900s: Source Unknown

Samuel Colt 30

Exhibit 8 Colt 1903: http://www.smithandwessonforums.com/forum/armory/2366-1903-sears-

catalog-always-cool-gun-stuff-view.html

Samuel Colt 31

Exhibit 9 Colt 1904: http://www.coltautos.com/mmst_i.html

Exhibit 10 Colt 1905: http://www.coltautos.com/1905ci_advertisements.htm

Samuel Colt 32

Exhibit 11 Colt 1906: http://www.sodcity.com/gallery2/albums/Moulds-

etc/3100428729_937df092a2_o.jpg

Exhibit 12 Colt 1910: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/guns-ads-1910s

Samuel Colt 33

Exhibit 13 Colt 1911 Handbill: http://replicaairguns.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/screen-shot-

2012-04-30-at-6-57-36-pm.jpg

Samuel Colt 34

Exhibit 14 Colt 1911:http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/ads/sportsandguns/gunsandammo/

ColtAutomaticPistol-1911A.jpg.html

Samuel Colt 35

Exhibit 15 Colt 1912: http://www.zazzle.com/1912_colt_card-137673795000854439

Samuel Colt 36

Exhibit 16 Colt 1912(1): http://www.flickr.com/photos/46786167@N00/5229309087/

Samuel Colt 37

Exhibit 17 Colt 1913: http://www.tias.com/11382/PictPage/1922926198.html

Samuel Colt 38

Exhibit 18 Colt 1917: http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/ads/sportsandguns/

gunsandammo/Colt%20Firearms%20-1917A.jpg.html

Samuel Colt 39

Exhibit 19 Colt 1919: http://www.atticpaper.com/proddetail.php?prod=1919-colt-firearms-

pistol-ad

Samuel Colt 40

Exhibit 20 Colt 1920s: http://cdn100.iofferphoto.com/img2/item/132/556/811/

o_OPBoZNxZNuESr97.jpg

Samuel Colt 41

Exhibit 21 Colt 1920s(1): http://www.magazineart.org/main.php/v/ads/sportsandguns/

gunsandammo/Colt+Firearms+-1920_sA.jpg.html

Samuel Colt 42

Exhibit 22 Colt 1924: http://www.sodcity.com/gallery2/albums/Moulds-etc/1924_colt.jpg

Samuel Colt 43

Exhibit 23 Colt 1926: http://www.coltautos.com/DA/CampPerry/campperryci_Broadside.htm

Samuel Colt 44

Exhibit 24 Colt 1932: http://38super.net/Pages/History.html

Samuel Colt 45

Exhibit 25 Colt 1933: http://www.coltautos.com/DA/BankersSpecial/

bankersspecialci_22_Broadside.htm

Samuel Colt 46

Exhibit 26 Colt Ammunition: http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=39954.0

Samuel Colt 47

Exhibit 27 Colt Jeweler: http://www.sportingcollectibles.com/cphotos/c5269jewler.jpg

Samuel Colt 48

Exhibit 28 Winchester Ammo 1896:

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=39954.0

Samuel Colt 49

Exhibit 29 Winchester Hunting 1944: http://www.atticpaper.com/proddetail.php?prod=1942-

winchester-arms-ad-hunting-pays-off