Unintended Consequences - The Book

[cherrypointmarine]

I am a hardcore reader , reading 4-5 books a week . I have some I can read multiple times . This book is one of them . It's about what the author calls the " Gun Culture ". He starts back in the early days , early 1900's , and goes to the mid 1990's , being published in 1996 . Some is fiction , but he throws in facts about Ruby Ridge , David Karesh and more . He talks about the GCA's , and other history that is interesting to those in the " Gun Culture ". He goes into the heydays of the 1960's when you could look at the Shotgun News and find full auto weapons for sale , with an ad for Lahti's and Solothurns . If you have read this book , how about weighing in about what you thought about it .
Semper Fi

 

[Doug627]

The shooting range story was interesting reading to be sure.

 

[barrya]

An EXCELLENT read. One of my all time favorites. Kind of slow to get into but when it gets going, hang on!! Barry

 

[jessebogan]

I read it once a year.And I have a "loaner copy" as well. Great book, and shows just how far we have been pushed.

 

[sigp220.45]

It makes a great doorstop.

 

[mtgianni]

I enjoyed it but it didn't make my reread list.

 

[armenius]

Great book. I didn't loan mind out for years but finally made that bad mistake. If I ever get another one it stays home. It is educational as well as very entertaining story. Should be required reading.

 

[rbrbrb6]

One of the few books I keep and reread every year or so. Well worth the price of admission.

 

[Absalom]

However well-intentioned, fiction written to show off how much a writer knows about a subject and to showcase his political position rarely works.

This was a prime example. I read non-fiction for information and opinion, I don't like to be lectured by fictional characters in plots contrived for that purpose.

Sorry, didn't like it at all. Fortunately, it was really "hot" back when it first came out, so I was able to sell my copy at a gun show for what I had paid new.

 

[kmyers]

An excellent book on the history of firearms, gun control laws, and the abuses against gun owners, but it went off the rails and lost me when they declared war on federal employees and started killing people with hundreds/thousands joining in. One of the holes in the book was it was brought up that most people would never just go out and start killing people(true) but in the book it was written that they did. Those types would be willing to kill for any reason they could find to justify it and not the types I would want associated with firearms or gun ownership to begin with.

 

[rwsmith]

Well, I see both sides of the coin here......

I've been reading big, long books. I wouldn't mind reading something a little less intimidating. I use to read tons, Now I can't see and can only read half a page until I go to sleep.

I'll put it on the list.

 

[cherrypointmarine]

Yeah , it has it's pros and cons . It's like a movie you can enjoy and not have to think .And yes , at the end where they declare war on the feds is far fetched . But like the saying goes , take what you want and leave the rest .

 

[TXSWFAN]

John Ross would make an epic Director of the BATFE.

 

[El Biblioitecario]

I haven't read this book, but I did read Shotgun News in the '60s. Prior to the 1968 Gun Control Act I recall ads for Lathi and Solothurn 20mm self-loading rifles, but I don't recall ads for automatic weapons, and wicked lad that I was, I think I would have remembered that.

 

[DWalt]

There were no ads back in the 50s and 60s for full auto weapons, at least in the general circulation magazines like The American Rifleman and Guns. But there were ads for DEWATs. I do remember ads for various types of anti-tank rifles such as the Russian PTRS and PTRD, also the British Boys. Including ammo for them. For the most part, they covered a wide range of WWII (and sometimes earlier) military small arms other than full auto.

 

[cmore]

Great book. I didn't loan mind out for years but finally made that bad mistake. If I ever get another one it stays home. It is educational as well as very entertaining story. Should be required reading.

still available on Amazon. Expensive tho. Even the reader version paperback is now $75.