“I have searched and in the founding era I think I’ve only ever found two gun accidents, and everybody was hauling guns back then.

That may very well be true – that he’s only found two.

BECK: “Kids did not shoot each other.”
BARTON: “Oh no. No, no, no. Again, two accidents I have seen in two hundred years of everybody having guns. It just didn’t happen.”

Ok, so let’s just look at gun accidents involving children. And only in a period of 6 years, not 200.

From the Massachusetts Spy, Worcester, Massachusetts, October 1, 1789:
“At Capeelizabeth, on Saturday the 5th inst., James Mayo, a child of two years old, was shot through the head by his brother, a boy about 12, who was playing with a loaded musket — The jury were of the opinion that the child’s death was accidental.”
From the Herald of Freedom, Boston, February 2, 1790:
“UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT
“We learn from Shaftsbury, in Vermont, that a number of small boys were lately hunting there when one of them, named Ebenezer Bottom, was pushing a wad into his gun with his finger at the same time that another boy was priming it, the gun discharged, by which accident Bottom was badly wounded in the hand, and John Welsh, son of Mr. Ebenezer Welsh, of Norwich, was shot in the body and died in a few days after. — This affords a melancholly caution to parents not to trust their children with guns till they have discretion to know how to use them.”

There’s the two, I assume.

From the Litchfield Monitor, Litchfield, Connecticut, August 17, 1791:
“PORTSMOUTH, July 27.
“Saturday last, the following melancholy accident happened in the parish of North-Hampton. — A son of Mr. John Page, about 12 years of age, went into the house of a negro family, in his father’s neighbourhood, (the negro man and his wife were absent, and had left three or four children at home, the eldest about 7 years old) and observing a loaded gun in the corner of the room, he immediately took it into his hands, cocked it, and drew it by the muzzle to the door, when by some accident it went off, and discharged its contents of powder, shot, and wadding into his breast and out at his back, which put an immediate period to his existence.
“We hope the above will serve as a caution to parents how they leave implements of destruction in the way of their children.”
From the Weekly Register, Norwich, Connecticut, March 13, 1792:
“The following accident happened in this city last Saturday — A loaded musket being left standing in the corner of a room in the house of Mr. Charles Jeffry, jun. a neighouring boy came in and took the musket to the door, where he discharged it; a girl of Mr. Jeffry’s about seven years old, at the same instant coming in the door, the charge went through her arm, which took it off.”
From the Litchfield Monitor, Litchfield, Connecticut, May 1, 1793:
“Winchester, April 10, 1793:
“On Tuesday the 9th inst. William Case, aged 18, son of Mr. William R. Case, of this town, died of a wound received in his right arm by the accidental discharge of a musket. The Wednesday preceding his death, the deceased, in company with a young man of the neighbourhood, went in pursuit of ducks: On their way to the pond, the unfortunate, being forward of his companion, whose gun unhappily went off, the contents was lodged as above; and notwithstanding every means and effort of the faculty and his friends, he died a few days after the accident. He was a promising youth, much endeared and lamented by his parents, and all his acquaintance. — It is hoped that this accident, among others, will be a lesson of caution to those who either for sport or exercise make use of fire arms.”
From the Rising Sun, Keene, New Hampshire, October 6, 1795:
“MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT.
“Last week, at Chesterfield, a young man by the name of Johnson, about 16 years of age, was handling a loaded musket, it accidentally went off and discharged the contents into his throat, which killed him instantly.”
From the Philadelphia Gazette, September 12, 1795:
“A FATAL ACCIDENT.
“On Tuesday last, a daughter of Mr. Thomas Davis, formerly of this place, was at a Mr. Strutton of Amherst, near Buffaloe river, and no person being present but children, a little son of Mr. Strutton, took up a loaded rifle, and while handling the piece, unfortunately discharged the ball through the head of Mr. Davis’ daughter, at which instant she fell, and lay a considerable time before any grown person arrived. — A lesson to the incautious heads of families.”

etc etc etc.
So much for his extensive research.

James – I agree that his loyal supporters will continue to believe him no matter what. Festinger identified the psychology of a true believer in his book When Prophecy Fails. Barton has many such true believers and I don’t expect that we will reach many of them (although we have reached a few). The more general damage to education and evangelical scholarship is what I am more concerned about.