Shot Heard Round the World Redux

We all should know what the  “Shot Heard Round the World refers to, right? April 19, 1775, just a bit under 250 years ago, colonists unhappy with the redcoats engaged in some lead-slinging that, while not a clear-cut victory for the colonists, started in motion a revolution that, for better or worse, put them on a course to separate from Great Britain and become the United States of America.

The first shots were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington. Eight militiamen were killed, including Ensign Robert Munroe, their third in command. The British suffered only one casualty. The militia was outnumbered and fell back, and the regulars proceeded on to Concord, where they broke apart into companies to search for the supplies. At the North Bridge in Concord, approximately 400 militiamen engaged 100 regulars from three companies of the King’s troops at about 11:00am, resulting in casualties on both sides. The outnumbered regulars fell back from the bridge and rejoined the main body of British forces in Concord.

The British forces began their return march to Boston after completing their search for military supplies, and more militiamen continued to arrive from the neighboring towns. Gunfire erupted again between the two sides and continued throughout the day as the regulars marched back towards Boston. Upon returning to Lexington, Lt. Col. Smith’s expedition was rescued by reinforcements under Brigadier General Earl Percy. The combined force of about 1,700 men marched back to Boston under heavy fire in a tactical withdrawal and eventually reached the safety of Charlestown.  Wiki

History as poetry. Paul Revere, redcoats, irregular militias…all the good stuff.

Well, here’s a challenge:

According to a Feb. 10 article by Cowboy State Daily, at 8:30 a.m. April 19, members of the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) plan to shoot their guns to commemorate those battles’ opening shot.

Damnit! GREAT idea. And someone in California thought if it first?

Kevin Cox of Utah has organized an event for April 19, when gun owners in all 50 states will fire their guns at the same time on the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War.

“If California can do this, of all the states in the union, then the rest of us should get busy and see what we can organize,” Cox told Cowboy State Daily.

If the idea of firing shots at gun ranges across the country that day catches on, dealing with multiple time zones could make things complicated, Cox said in the article.

So rather than trying to pull off a simultaneous volley from coast to coast, it might work better to have the event roll through the different time zones, he said. Volleys could be fired at 8:30 a.m. in each time zone.  Buckeye Firearms

I’m liking it. I freely admit I will cheat, as I have a backstop and range in the back yard, so dragging out a muzzle-loader (hey, for this you almost HAVE to fire a muzzle loader, right?) and letting loose a big sulfurous cloud from the Holy Black is easy for me. It’s a Saturday, so no doubt your local ranges may need to be persuaded to open a bit early. But you have two months to talk to folks, hype it up a bit, maybe put it on social media, get the kids and grandkids excited about it – this could genuinely be something cool and unique.

Category: We Remember