Firearms & Fiction Seminar Teaches Novelists Facts
by Peggy Tartaro
Managing Editor
If gunowners have a besetting sin—generally and institutionally—it’s reflected in Strother Martin’s famous line from the movie “Cool Hand Luke:” “What we have here is a failure to communicate.
If everyone else—generally, but especially institutionally—has their own sin, it might be, “What we have is a failure to hear communication.”
Gunowners are constantly frustrated, and sometimes downright enraged, to hear guns discussed, to read about them and to see them visually portrayed by people who haven’t done the minimum research, and who sometimes seem downright proud of their ignorance.
A good recent example occurred this 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 fully automatic firearms were used to “illustrate” what types of semi-automatic 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.
Pop Culture
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.
Think I’m exaggerating? Well, “Casablanca” and “Gone with the Wind” were both made in the 1930s, and frankly, my dears, I’d be shocked—shocked, if most people didn’t get those last two “pop culture” references!
And, even without Oprah to nudge things along, we’re all still reading books written years ago. ’Tis the season, so it’s worth pointing out that Ebenezer Scrooge made his first appearance on the printed page well over a century ago.
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 novel, or script.
Millions and millions of books and magazines are sold in the US each year, and both readers and non-readers spend countless hours in watching television and billions of dollars going to the movies. Through one or more media, public opinion is often shaped almost subliminally by the popular culture.
Armed with this fact—and healthy libraries of our own—the Second Amendment Foundation (parent of Gun Week), began a program five years ago to introduce 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.
Over 80 Writers
More than 80 published authors have participated in these seminars 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.
Sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and, for the last three years, by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which also runs similar programs for general media reporters 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, shooting sports and media relations coordinator 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” mystery 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.
All of the writers attend the seminars because they are serious about their work and genuinely seek to know more about guns, although a few may feel uncomfortable about guns and the people who know much about them.
It’s a rare mystery writer that can keep a series going with poisoned 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.
‘Not Coming Back’
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—a man who has written over 100 novels plus top-flight movie and TV 
scripts—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. At least two other students have subsequently become gunowners after a Firearms & Fiction seminar, and a few others have pursued their shooting education at ranges in their areas.
The primary objective of the sponsors 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 meet “the gun lobby,” and, we hope, find us genial, helpful and not too unlike themselves.
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 5 miles from Red Rock Canyon, but still in sprawling Las Vegas proper. This year’s seminar was held Nov. 14-16.
We always 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.
Classroom
On Monday, we began our classroom work 9 a.m., 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 director of communications, began the formal program with welcomes and introductions of attendees and instructors.
Gun Week executive editor Joe Tartaro’s presentation on 2000+ years of firearms and ammunition history, 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.
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 several titles including Women & Guns, and Mark Tartaro, a retired veteran of the Buffalo, NY, Police Department and now an instructor for the Erie County, NY, Central Police Academy. In years past, other firearms instructors have included John Mullins and his T-CATT training school crew based in Oklahoma, and Massad Ayoob.
During the morning session, panelists such as me, Segal, Jorgensen and Mehalik give some pungent examples of where writers get it wrong, including the aforementioned safety-ed-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, add details as we go along, and answer questions.
At all of our seminars we have been fortunate to secure the assistance of Torrey Johnston, chief ballistician for the Las Vegas Police Department.
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.
More Safety
Another safety lecture follows, this time with some detail on dress and deportment on the range, along with some basics of sight picture.
Afterward, Hayes, assisted by my brother 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 21 feet armed with a “knife” before the good guy (Gary) could draw his “gun.”
Demonstrations such as this, using people who the writers have gotten used to over several hours, shows how quickly violence really happens.
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), and more information on the reality of civilian and law enforcement gun ownership and use are discussed.
Participants are loaded up with a variety of handouts, including several books, firearms manufacturers’ catalogs, safety brochures and other reference material.
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 Red is a Glendale, CA, police detective.
Also attending his third Firearms & Fiction event was mystery writer Michael Black, who also works for a Chicago-area police department.
It’s helpful to have enthusiastic “gunnies” like Black and the Songers on hand, who are also mystery writers, as they provide a peer-to-peer dynamic.
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, Taurus and Rossi, courtesy of Jorgensen and Segal. These included rifles, revolvers, pistols and shotguns in several calibers, particularly .22 rimfire, .22 Magnum, 9mm, .38 special, .357 Magnum, 45 ACP, .223 Rem., .25-06 and 12-gauge with bird shot, buck shot and slug. The long guns supplied by Ruger, Taurus and Rossi gave seminar participants a chance to shoot single-shot, pump-action, bolt-actions, lever guns and autoloaders.
Firearms & Fiction had its own area of the range, although Las Vegas PD SWAT Teams were training nearby with MP5s, and there are always some lucky individuals who can spend a Tuesday at the range with their own guns.
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 of different calibers 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. Of course, the hotter loads send the shattered jugs flying.
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.
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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.
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 or, in other years, the .44 Magnum, until they are comfortable with them.
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.
We return to the range for the afternoon, with more questions, and more time on the line. The shooting continues until as close as we dare to sunset; there are no lights for a full clean-up of the host range.
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 the Desert Sportsmen Range by 4:30, so we are back at the hotel a little after 5 PM.
The 5th annual Firearms & Fiction seminar ended with another group dinner and there’s a new sense of camaraderie among the writers and instructors as well as a strong sense of personal achievement up and down the long dinner table.
The immediate results of this intersection of the gun community with the originators of pop culture are cordial and friendly communications, but the long-term benefits echo for years to come.
Back at their respective offices, the sponsoring groups begin plans for the next seminar to be held in Fall 2005.
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