Young (and old) guns

Well into the 16th century, guns were considered unmanly - the armament of cowards and ne'er-do-wells.

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Swords and other bladed weapons were preferred to the chemical alchemy of a technology that had a nasty habit of breaking at the very worst time. It took courage and muscle to fight so close to your opponent that you could see the whites of their eyes. Guns were the very antithesis of chivalrous combat.