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Facts and Fun of Guns By Peggy Tartaro,
A good recent example occurred last fall as the so-called assault weapons ban was about to sunset. Misinformation, to put it charitably, reigned, as the media got it wrong over and over, whiffing on everything from the actual date of the sunset, to its effects. ABC News, to cite one of the worst examples, ran footage of the famous Los Angeles bank shootout in which automatic weapons were used to "illustrate" what types of guns were supposedly about to be back in circulation. Unfortunately, that's not an isolated incident and gunowners have come to believe, with ample justification, that sometimes the news media gets it wrong on purpose, or at best, with the woefully sloppy kind of journalism that accepts Microsoft Word documents as written in the '70s because it fits their preconceptions. The answer here is, of course, eternal vigilance, reflected more easily these days on-line, but also in good old-fashioned letters to the editors, and with the television equivalent of the voting lever-the channel clicker.
Think I'm exaggerating? Well, "Casablanca" (1942) and "Gone With the Wind" (1939) have been around for decades, and frankly, my dears, I'd be shocked-shocked, if most people didn't get those last two "pop culture" references! More to the point of this feature, "people" like Perry Mason, Sam Spade, Jane Marple and Sherlock Holmes are recognizable even to the most casual reader-they represent one of the most popular, influential and enduring genres in fiction, and by extension, in the general consciousness-the mystery. Armed with this fact-and healthy libraries of our own-the Second Amendment Foundation (parent of Women & Guns), began a program five years ago to introduce professional fiction writers to guns by communicating with them on a professional level. Over the life of the program, dubbed Firearms & Fiction, we've found fiction writers, primarily working in the mystery genre, but also in science-fiction and romance, eager to learn about firearms and grateful to find a program that speaks to them on a professional-to professional basis.
Sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which also runs similar programs for general media and for groups like the Hollywood Stuntwomen's Association, Firearms & Fiction helps writers get their facts straight and introduces them to hands-on shooting experience with a variety of guns. This year, for the first time, SAF and NSSF were joined by representatives of firearms manufacturers, Ken Jorgensen for Sturm, Ruger and Keeva Segal representing Taurus USA and Rossi. Most of the participants have very little firearms knowledge coming in, and it takes a pretty brave soul to admit ignorance. Prior to attendance, many writers have told us they've relied on friends or acquaintances for firearms fact-checking, or even, in one case, just looking at gun publications. Others, especially women working in the "cozy" sub-genre, have simply excised firearms from their stories or relied on generic, brief mentions and descriptions, and hoped they were vague enough to pass muster. It's a rare mystery writer that can keep a series going with poison quiches and fatal doses of foxglove, so firearms come into the story eventually, especially if the main character (or a loved one) is a law enforcement professional or private detective. As one writer told me a few years back, "They (readers) complain if you get anything wrong, but if you get guns wrong, they're not coming back." Since attending, several of our "graduates" have added firearms to their works and many have queried us with specific scenarios involving guns. One of our students resolved to go back to a gun club near his home with his own guns despite a long absence after having such a good time at the range and at least two students have subsequently become gunowners after a Firearms & Fiction seminar.
All five Firearms & Fiction seminars have been held in Las Vegas, and four years have seen us do our range work at Desert Sportsmen's Club, an expansive, rustic range about five miles from Red Rock Canyon, but still in sprawling Las Vegas proper. We begin our events with a brief, informal get together on Sunday evening so that everyone gets a chance to meet one another. In many cases, writers are acquainted with each other, either personally or through professional writing groups and websites. On Monday, we begin our classroom work, which consists of a variety of expert panelists discussing everything from the shooting sports as settings to the reality of forensic and ballistic science. Alan Gottlieb, SAF's founder and Gary Mehalik, NSSF's vice president of communications begin the formal program with welcomes and introductions. Gun Week executive editor Joe Tartaro's presentation on 2000+ years of launching projectiles, beginning when David took on Goliath, is an entertaining "Cliffs Notes" for newcomers. More than one writer has told us later that some part of the historical data has given them a plot idea.
During the morning session, panelists such as myself, Segal, Jorgensen and Mehalik give some pungent examples of where writers get it wrong, including the aforementioned safetied-Glock. Just before the lunch break, the first in a series of Firearms Safety lectures occurs. By breaking these sessions up and having several before we even get to the range, we are able to reinforce the safety first message, repeat and stress basics, and add details as we go along. At all our seminars we have been fortunate to secure the assistance of Torrey Johnston, chief ballistician for the Las Vegas Police Department.
Afterward, Hayes, assisted by Mark and I, demonstrated a variety of concealed carry options, which go far beyond the standard shoulder holster rig. Using dummy guns, we are able to demonstrate draw from everything from a belly band to an ankle holster. Just to be sure no one was catnapping, Mark Tartaro and Gary Mehalik illustrated a "Tueller Drill," in which the bad guy (Mark) was able to cover a distance of 20 feet armed with a "knife" before the good guy (Gary) could draw his "gun." Demonstrations such this, using people who the writers have gotten used to over several hours, shows how quickly violence really happens. These are not actors performing for the writers, but people-albeit professionals-with whom the writers have had coffee. Before ending the classroom day, several other topics are covered, including an overview of current firearms laws (of which various states' concealed carry laws and reciprocity are of main interest to the writers), more information on the reality of civilian and law enforcement gun ownership and use are discussed.
After the classroom portion is complete and following a break, participants and panelists meet again for a group dinner. This provides a good opportunity for participants to ask questions and for panelists to gauge reaction. At this year's event we were lucky to have C.J. Songer and her husband Red in attendance. C.J. is a mystery novelist and Gunsite graduate who has become interested in firearms training and writing, and is now a contributing editor to W&G, and Red is a Glendale, CA, police detective. Attending his third Firearms & Fiction event was mystery
writer Michael Black, who also works for a Chicago-area police
department. On Tuesday morning, it's off to Desert Sportsmen's Club for the hands-on range work. This year, we had a variety of firearms from Ruger, Rossi and Taurus, courtesy of Jorgensen and Segal.
After another safety lecture, and the issuance of ear and eye protection, it was time for our popular energy transfer demo, in which Hayes, Jorgensen and Mehalik fired a handgun, rifle and shotgun, respectively, at gallon jugs of colored water. This allows writers to see that it's not always "like the movies," and that while all of the firearms will penetrate the jugs, you don't get the dramatic splash and splat with them all. It also reinforces some of the safety message by showing-dramatically-the damage firearms can do. Writers were then given the opportunity to try a single shot .22 rifle, before moving on to one of four firing points and trying a variety of handguns and rifles. The morning passes quickly as writers are allowed to try several rounds in each of the guns (with the option to decline any they feel uncomfortable with) before allowing everyone the chance to go back to their favorite or try again to master a particular gun. Each station had at least one instructor, more often two, to insure safety and one-on-one communication. Here again, it's interesting to watch the writers' professionalism overcome their trepidation, as it's not uncommon for someone to repeatedly step back up to the big .45s until they are comfortable with them.
We return to the range for the afternoon, with more questions, and more time on the line. This year, everyone had an opportunity to shoot a "keeper" target, and while distances are kept at a manageable 15 yards, some happy folks left with some decent beginner groups. In the desert in the late fall, the light goes behind the mountains which ring Desert Sportsmen by 4:30, so we are back at the hotel a little after 5 PM. We end the event with another group dinner and there's a sense of camaraderie and personal achievement up and down are long table. The immediate results of this intersection of the gun community with pop culture are cordial and friendly communications, but the long term benefits echo long after. Photos for this story by Peggy Tartaro, Keeva Segal and CJ Songer. Guns Used at Firearms & Fiction
Ruger: Taurus: |
Gunowners are constantly
frustrated, and sometimes downright enraged to hear guns discussed,
to read about them or to see them visually portrayed by people
who haven't done the minimum research, and who sometimes seem
downright proud of their ignorance.
But what about popular
culture? One blockbuster movie, one bestseller, or one hit TV
show can often make a bigger impact than all the newspapers,
magazines and television news programs combined.
More than 80 published
authors have participated over the years, and the level of questions
asked in the classroom, at the range, at group dinners and in
follow-up queries, testifies to the value of the program.
Our primary objective,
though, is to provide both immediate and future resources to
writers, so that Glocks with safeties and on-the-crime-scene
casings from revolvers don't appear in their works, as they have
in other people's books. When pop culture starts getting the
details right, it has far-reaching benefits. It also helps that
the writers get to meet "the gun lobby," and, we hope,
find us genial, helpful and not too unlike themselves.
Firearms from a
law enforcement and training viewpoint are handled by Gila Hayes,
co-owner of The Firearms Academy of Seattle, and a gun writer
for titles including Women & Guns, and Mark Tartaro, a retired
veteran of the Buffalo, NY, Police Department and now an instructor
for the Erie County Central Police Academy. In years past, other
firearms instructors have included John Mullins and his T-CATT
crew, based in Oklahoma, and Massad Ayoob.
Johnston comes armed
with several carousels of slides, boxes of samples, a healthy
disdain for television "forensic" shows and a teaching
style which makes science fascinating. He spends a good deal
of time after his presentation answering individual questions.
Participants are
loaded up with a variety of handouts, including several books,
firearms manufacturers' catalogs, safety brochures and other
reference material.
Firearms & Fiction
had its own area of the range, although Las Vegas PD SWAT Teams
were drilling nearby and there are always some lucky individuals
who can spend a Tuesday at the range with their own guns.
We move the group
back up to Desert Sportsmen's clubhouse for a picnic lunch and
more individual conversations. I generally make a point of asking
people if they're having fun and if the experience is what they
expected. I get no negative feedback and a lot of smiles.
Rossi:
