Good morning. Charles Osgood is off today. I'm Lee Cowan, and this is a special edition of Sunday morning.

A program about guns and America. Our intent is not to take sides or pass judgment

this morning, but rather to take stock and cast light on a debate that seems to be growing

ever louder with committed and sincere advocates on both sides. And with a summer that has

brought us horrific incident after horrific incident, the time seems

right to explore our nation's long and complicated relationship with guns.

That's perhaps not surprising, considering the role guns have played in this country from

our earliest days, as we will see in our cover story.

It's been said God made man, but Samuel Colt made them equal.

This is the type of weapon that would have been used at Lexington or Concord.

Well guns offer a window into our history, the view hasn't always been crystal clear.

I think that for most of our history, guns were viewed more as a tool, and that more in the 20th century, we see a convergence of gun love and a large number of guns.

Ahead, how America's love affair with firearms may have started as only a cool crush.

For more and more American women these days,

a concealed handgun is the weapon of choice,

as our Tracy Smith saw for herself.

It's no secret that more women are carrying guns,

but where they carry them might surprise you.

Are there bra holsters?

There are, and normally I have a few.

But you're sold out?

Yeah.

...