Weapons of Choice: Cultural and Generational Fascinations with Weapons

Double-Barrel shotgun, the bow and arrow, the ak-47 (for when you absolutely have to kill every last **** in the room). Weapons are commonplace in society, and always have been. What this article would examine the history of culture's "weapon of choice." We seem to be exiting the bow and arrow phase (Katniss, Hawkeye, Last of Us, Tomb Raider) and its been a few years since the ak-47 era.
However, it is undeniable that at any given point in time, the entertainment industry, seems fascinated by one particular weapon, and that weapon finds itself in plenty of movies, TV shows, and video games.
This article should examine the history of popular weapons, and/or why these weapons become so pervasive throughout society.