|
I like to think I came by my love of books and libraries the easy way. My parents met and fell in love while both were working at Buffalo's main library branch, and both are serious readers who made sure to pass a love of books on to their children. One of my clearest childhood memories is being at the Kensington Branch, near my grandparents' home, and having my mother to myself-reading Charlotte Steiner's Kiki Goes Skating to me. These many years later I was thrilled to find a copy of one
of Steiner's picture books at a book sale and to pass it along
to my great niece, Kierstan ("Kiki") Keane. When I think of all the characters I've "met" in my career as a reader and all the adventures shared and lessons learned, it is little wonder that I don't quite trust people who don't read for pleasure. That's why it's such a great kick to work on our Firearms & Fiction seminars. We've now completed eight such events in seven years, and each year, while we get a chance to teach working writers about guns, we also get to look at what we do with fresh eyes-eyes that are used to taking in details and eyes that belong to people who are articulate about giving us useful feedback. Although the form of Firearms & Fiction doesn't vary much from year to year (except this year when we put on a one-day event for 100 writers in addition to our regular two-day seminar), each class is made up of different writers, and different questions and comments come up. Some years the majority of writers focus on the technical aspects presented-everything from ballistics to the actual workings of various guns available on the range. Some years, the writers are more focused on personality and emotion. During the life of the program a few writers have gotten back to us, wanting to discuss a firearm choice for their own use. And while that's an added benefit of Firearms & Fiction, it's not the reason we do it. Whatever we can provide for them, we are happy to do, because we firmly believe, along with our partners at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, that by making available an honest introduction to guns and the people involved with them, the better off all gunowners are. When you can affect popular culture on the ground floor, you can affect the way guns and gunowners are perceived for years to come. Another intersection between the written word, such as those in Women & Guns, and libraries, came along this year that was less salubrious. The news story on Page 7 of the print edition details a lawsuit which the Second Amendment Foundation (parent of W&G) has become involved with in Washington State. In the northern part of the state, a rural, multi-county library system is blocking access to websites including womenandguns.com, the on-line version of this magazine. Even after several adult library users asked to have the sites unlocked, the library system refused. By joining the individual plaintiffs in the suit, we are putting the Foundation's money where are mouths have always been-squarely on the side of "make up your own mind," especially when it comes to gun rights. And, while this suit concerns only a few library patrons in a sparsely populated area, we hope it will serve as a warning to other library systems that guns, and information about them, shouldn't be put into the category of something to be "blocked" for the "public good." Over the 18 year life of this publication, we like to think we've provided a useful service to our readers-and with the advent of the Internet-to those who are not regularly subscribers. Eighteen is something of a milestone-one that astonishes me a bit-but first and foremost makes me proud. The entire W&G family-which is our readers, as well as our advertisers, contributors, and the folks who see to its day-to-day operation-have a lot to be proud of as we celebrate this year's birthday.
Photo © Copyright 1998 Nancy Floyd, used with permission. |
By
Peggy Tartaro,
