The team experienced a surprise, however, when they moved on to even higher speeds: Above some 300 meters per second—which roughly corresponds to the top speed of aircraft in civil aviation—the wear decreases again. The microstructure of the metal just below the surface, which is completely destroyed at medium speeds, now remains largely intact again.
One gets the impression that without this Friction anomaly firearms would likely be impossible.
Historical rates of enslavement predict modern rates of American gun ownership
A different take on gun culture. They seem confident of their data.
Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry That Radicalized America
Gun culture has sure changed since Steve and I were lads.