Well, it began the period in their history when they were able to shoot people. This enabled them to shoot people. Having guns is widely considered an important factor in their becoming able to shoot people. And being able to shoot people was a new thing for them because before they had guns, they were less able to shoot people. Some sociologists (see www.earlyamerica.com/firearms) contend that were it not for the introduction of firearms, that native americans might never have acquired the ability to shoot people. That remains in debate. To this day, though, it remains a widely held belief among native americans that being able to shoot people is closely tied to having firearms, perhaps moreso now that in previous times.