context1: Popper is an avid collector of weaponry, including firearms, swords, and a working $10,000 American Civil War <strong>cannon</strong>. He cites a fascination with their aesthetic of being life-savingly efficient machines. Popper is a supporter of Second Amendment rights, and appeared on an MTV-sponsored roundtable discussion on <strong>gun</strong> control which included panelists from the Law Enforcement Alliance of America and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
context2: In addition to the aforementioned signalling duties, the <strong>guns</strong> have had the task of firing a time signal since 1806. At first the primary purpose was to allow ships at sea or in port to check the accuracy of their marine chronometers, an instrument necessary for the accurate calculation of longitude. Observers on the ships would watch for the smoke from the muzzle, rather than listen for the sound of the <strong>cannon</strong>.