Why and how does the American Revolution make it so difficult to introduce gun control measures in the US today? And what do modern sports have to do with war? This talk explores these questions, and their intersection with nationalism, (mis)conceptions about modern nations, their origins and what makes them unique. It will look at how gun control in the US is made harder by misconceptions about the founding of the nation — which are often perpetuated by Hollywood — and how sports events like the Tour de France and Rugby Union World Cup have, to an extent, taken the place of war in the competition between nations.