Two kick-ass gun books
I just finished reading Black Man With a Gun by Reverend Kenneth V. F. Blanchard. It’s a short primer on gun ownership, great tips on choosing and using a weapon, with very interesting parts on the racist roots of gun control and a Christian take on self-defense vs. the “thou shall not kill” commandment. (The author is a Baptist minister, as well as a Harley rider and ex-gov shooter.)
Reverend Kenn is a great guy, we’ve been e-mailing and exchanging books through the mail. He does two wonderful podcasts, one on gun rights called “The Urban Shooter Podcast“, and one about sex, marriage and God called “Naked but Not Ashamed.” I’m subscribed to both. I’m happy to have this cat as a friend.
The second book I’m digging is ex-cop Massad Ayoob’s “The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery.”
Great book, with a mindblowing amount of information. Aimed at training cops, but useful info to civilians, especially about disarming armed people if need be. This book also has enough smarts and class to mention Reverend Kenn.
Here’s a PDF scan of that section. (Excerpting covered under US Copyright law under “Fair Use of short excerpts for Literary Critique.”)
Michael W. Dean
Little side note: Anyone who thinks that legal gun ownership is a white-boy sport, I have to point out that I’m learning more from a black guy and an Arab-American then from anyone else at this point.
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Thats right, you have been shouting from the rooftops ” look at my guns!” for a month now. Just as if you got a new guitar or microphone. Thats fun! but also I think thats where the “getting flack” comes in. Push the limits of good taste …..and get people riled up! Thats also fun. So I realize that your being entertaining and stuff.
However if I felt had to get a gun, Id probably not be acting proud of it. It would be my dirty little secret, like Howies. Why? Its a sad day when a citizen feels that kind of need, due to fear, isnt it? Its really regrettable. Im sorry your worldview is so fearful that you needed to do this. Maybe you should move to a gated community with 24 hr security guards. Im glad you have a new hobby though, who knew that shooting a gun would be a fun thing to do?
Something about the way you present this gun thing doesnt sit well with me, and Ive not really put my finger on it exactly. Its not so simplistic as ” guns are evil, and you have 3?, but rather the way your almost glorifying it, with such “civic pride”.
Again, I do see the humor and irony it it, cause I know you. Its so ’not you’, and you are parodying the “proud patriotic rednecks with guns schtick” Thats funny too, but your almost coming off half-serious!
Anyway, something about the presentation here aint so funny, and to me it seems gauche , insensitive, and in poor taste, however provocative.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I’m sane, but regarding our new fascination of non-stop gun talk: I do this with everything. Did it throughout my life with science, drugs, sex, music, computers, and the Internet (Boris - remember in 1996 when I called you up talking non-stop about how “You GOTTA get into this Internet stuff!”, and I finally talked you into it? Glad I did?)
And continuing on, I talked non-stop and immersed myself later with AA (saved my life), filmmaking and writing (made me self-employed), bondage (helped me meet the girl of my dreams), podcasting (brought in most of the folks who post on this blog, besides you and Skip) and now guns.
I will swing to a good middle ground once I learn enough, and it’s acclimated into my blood and no longer new. That’s my process for mastering anything. And by then I’ll talk about it a lot less, and just do it.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I’m leaning toward Skip’s general opinion. It is so unlike you that I thought you were doing a parody for the longest time. I don’t knock you for your new obsession but I do think it is so beyond what I would have ever thought you to have ever gotten into. I’m cool with it but surprised.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Boris,
I was a fluffy little pacifist hippie when you met me. Back then I thought that ANY guns, legal or not, were evil. A lot of Americans, especially liberals, think that way. It’s a result of misguided media. Whenever you see guns on the news, or in a movie, it’s most always a criminal. When’s the last time you saw a story on the evening news about “Homeowner with legal gun saves family’s life from home invader intent on murder”? Happens all the time, but the liberal media won’t touch it.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Yep, yep and yep.
I’m cool with your new fun and know that this too shall pass. Don’t give it up but accept it like the other tools that make you comfortable in life. Air conditioner, indoor cooking, utensils to make music to provide you entertainment. Why shouldn’t you have a home security system? Some get electronic, you got mechanical. I’m looking forward to when you are back to a normal lunatic and we can go back to discussing cat hugging and spankings administered to bad bad girls.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Dude, that last line nearly made me spit soda on my monitor!
Love you, bro.
MWD
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
smooch to you too.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:01 am
Yeah, I can’t really relate to your enthusiasm for guns at all, but I do appreciate the passion and 100% that you give any new interest. It says a lot about how interesting a guy you are that I have been following this, even though I personally wish guns were banned in the U.S.
It also teaches me a lesson about good writing. An honest voice is a powerful (and rare these days) thing. Even if people don’t share the viewpoint of the speaker, they will enjoy reading someone who expressing an uncensored point of view.
So definitely keep writing about this topic. If nothing else, you have probably made me think about my own views on guns more than any pro-gun person in the last 10 years!!
I will say this… I am not opposed to using guns for sport (hunting, target practice, etc.) In fact, I’m ashamed to admit that your posts have kind of made me want to visit Guam and go to some of the shooting ranges there (a popular destination for Japanese tourists… guns are banned in Japan). But I doubt I would ever personally own a gun in this lifetime. The thought of having a gun in the house scares me to death.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:11 am
>It also teaches me a lesson about good writing.
I was thinking tonight, talking with the wife about how my new hobby is encouraging me to do some good blog post and comment writing. I will probably write a book about gun rights in a year or two. Me and this other cat, Alan, just finished (yesterday) writing a book about YouTube, and I’m kinda burned out on that. (But happy that it’s done. It’s gonna be a damn good book. Comes out in November.)
>I will say this… I am not opposed to using guns for sport…. The thought of having a gun in the house scares me to death.
Interesting…I can’t picture NOT having guns in the house now, and I’m also kinda disgusted by hunting. Never liked the idea. Did it once, when I was a teen. Of course, if the economy collapsed and I didn’t have food, I’d be in the back yard in a heartbeat shooting bunnies and coyotes (which I could actually shoot from my bedroom window, come to think of it), but as long as there’s a supermarket in town, the idea of shooting fuzzy things makes me sad. Not that I’d wanna outlaw it of course, but hunting does NOT appeal to me at all.
Will keep writing, thanks for the kudos.
Rock on,
MWD