Why did James Puckle invent the machine gun?

British lawyer James Puckle patented the world's first machine gun in 1718 due to his interest in protecting Christians from outside threats. Two versions were designed to prevent intruders from boarding ships; one shot round, conventional bullets, while the other fired square bullets.

The round bullets were to be used against non-Christian enemies, while the square ones, thought to inflict more damage, specifically targeted Muslim Turks to remind them of the benefits of Christianity. The tripod-mounted gun featured a 3-foot barrel cannon and multishot revolving cylinder capable of firing up to nine rounds per minute, besting the standard muskets of the time that fired just three times per minute.