Before he founded the Winchester Company in 1866, Oliver Winchester, like most Americans at the time, had never owned a gun, or even shot one. But his factory in New Haven, Connecticut, was churning out firearms at an astounding rate. If he wanted it to be profitable, he would have to create a robust civilian market for guns. He succeeded: 150 years later, his company has sold over 8 million firearms.

In The Gunning of America, historian Pamela Haag tells the story of the Winchester rifle, the Winchester family, and the origins of American gun culture. Drawing on the company’s voluminous archives, Haag reveals that America has not always been a gun-loving nation, but rather was sold the idea (and the guns that went with it) by gun manufacturers and shrewd marketers. Tracing our current gun culture to its unexpected roots, Haag sheds light on one of American society’s most contentious debates.