Free Republic

A bronze cannon used by Spanish conquistadors in the 1540s and unearthed by archeologists in Arizona is the oldest firearm ever found in the continental U.S. — and more than 200 years older than the first guns ever in Wyoming. The 42-inch-long, 40-pound piece survived as long as it did only because it was made of bronze, Wyoming historical firearms expert Dick Blust told Cowboy State Daily. Back in the 1500s, many firearms were made of iron, but not this one. “I have no reason to doubt it (being the oldest firearm ever in the U.S.),” he said. “The reason...

Archaeologists have discovered America's first firearm that was used by explorers searching for the 'Seven Cities of Gold' nearly 500 years ago.The bronze cannon, or wall gun, was part of the Coronado expedition led by Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, who traveled to the New World searching for a fabled city filled with treasures.The 40-pound weapon was designed to fire round projectiles, or buckshot, which would attacked enemies like 'a swarm of hornets.'The team conducted a radiocarbon analysis on the artifact, finding it was fashioned between 1500 and 1520 with metal that indicated it was cast in Mexico due...