Stephen King's taken some flack before, but...

[Deer Hunter]

I will admit, I'm a fan of King (moreso his older works), and I understand completely that he doesn't do the research sometimes needed (whether that be firearm related, or geographically relate. Co-Op city comes to mind), but I absolutely LOVE his Dark Tower series. As I'm finishing up the sixth book, Song of Susannah, in his series, I thought I should share a quote from the book that took me by surprise.

The entire series revolves around a band of gunslingers trying to save the entire universe of different worlds that revolve around our own, and is anchored by something call the Dark Tower. In this part of the book, the gunslingers are ambushed at a citgo station in our world, one they just crossed into, in 1977 Maine. That's my super-concise background, now to the quote.

...Now came another of those limber whipcracks; there was a gunner with an extremely high-powered rifle out there. Roland heard someone shout "Aw, f*** 'at, Jack!" and a moment later a speedshooter-what Eddie and Jake called a machine gun-opened up. The dirty display windows on both sides of the door came crashing down in bright shards. The paperwork which had been posted inside the glass-town notices, Roland had no doubt-went flying.

Two women and a gent of going-on-elderly years were the only customers in the store's aisles. All three were turned toward the front-toward Roland and Eddie-and on their faces was the eternal uncomprehending look of a gunless civilian. Roland sometimes thought it a grass-eating look, as though such folks-those in Calla Bryn Sturgis mostly no different-were sheep instead of people.

King may have his own views, and I'm sure they arn't too 2A friendly, but this little bit made me smile.

 

[one-shot-one]

i like s. king too. much like movies fictional books are entertainment not referance material, so i tend to ignore simple "mistakes" as long as it does not become preachy/distracting to the story line. read one (not king) book where a cop was chasing a guy in a jag. (car), the cop was driving a crown vic (ford), the writer refered to the roar of the "big" block 302!?!?
growing up with 440's 460's 454's that made me laugh but it was still a good story overall (i think the book was the fury?).

 

[Autolycus]

I am just about to start Song of Sussannah. The books are great. I still would say that I enjoyed Wolves of the Culla the most as of right now. These books get better and better.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

King's moves with regard to his statements about guns are no doubt aimed at the whack jobs who might take Roland Deschain or Eddie Dean too seriously.
I get some whacked out correspondence being a journalist. I can only imagine the weirdos that harass King.
There's a trail of pro-gun evidence all through his work including the Dark Tower series that indicates a pretty level headed idea of self defense.
If you read the convenience store robbery scene in The Stand you'll see a Cowboy with a holstered 1911 defending himself. And, there's a difference between Harold Lauder's false bravado and back stabbing and that of Stu Redmond's honest and simple character.
In the DT, there's a definite line drawn between the Gunslingers who defend themselves and society and the Jack Andolini's of the world. And, despite the technological superiority of "The wonderful Rambo machine" and it's bullet spitting potential, Roland and Eddie manage to come out on top by showing it's the training and the mind that make the difference- not the hardware.
Very High Road, I think.


King is not as anti as people think. Not where it counts, anyway, when you read his books and see what's really going on in his head.

 

[Dumpster Baby]

I've got a bunch of shoot em up paperbacks where the characters are always checking the safeties on their revolvers, releasing the revolver safety, setting the revolver safety, etc. In one book the action hero checks the safety on his revolver before going out, and minutes later during an ambush he's firing back with an extremely deadly .380 automatic that sends bad guys flying. In another book a British author invents all kinds of nonexistent guns and ammunition for the characters, and they're all bizarre small pocket pistols with the stopping power of an elephant gun. I've seen a lot of famous authors that have been writing murder mystery and action novels for decades do the revolver safety thing over and over and over. Duh. :banghead:

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Maybe they're writing about Smith and Wesson products from the near future.

 

[ryan in maine]

Actually, from what I've heard, Stephen King always had guns in the home. Up until he got his most recent home, that is.

I just saw a Stephen King biography in English class the other day and some pictures from his more youthful days had firearms (mostly long arms) prominently displayed in the living room.

I just think he doesn't know much about guns. Ignorance is bliss kind of thing.

 

[Werewolf]

I've never seen a bad King movie. Like 'em all even that silly thing Langoliers.

His books though read like they were written for folks with the reading ability of a 6th grader. The style shuts me down in just a few pages.

He should stick to movies though considering the quality of education kids are getting today I can understand the mass appeal of his books.

 

[32winspl]

Not Steven King related but; last summer while over at a friend's house, he showed me a revolver that someone had given him years ago. It was a cheap, well, inexpensive 22 single action "old west" style, mfg'd in south Florida I believe. I checked that it was unloaded, and in doing so, started laughing pretty heartilly, and not wanting him to think I was making fun of his gun, said "This is it! THIS must be the gun that so many authors have been writing about!" ... because, friends and neighbors, this revolver had a safety on it!!! Yup. A little hammer block safety that if I recall correctly, you have to engage before opening up the loading gate. After all the hundred or so times I've read of a safety being used on a revolver, here, in my hot little hands, I was holding IT, THE VERY GUN they'd been writing about.
So there you have it. It DOES exist.

 

[Deer Hunter]

32winspl,

I know some single action .22 rimfire revolvers have safeties on them. My sister's little heritage-arms .22 I sold to her (made 10 bucks out of the deal) had a safety on it that stopped the hammer from coming into contact with the revolver. Not saying they don't exist... But in nothing larger than .22 rimfire.

 

[romma]

Hijack alert! Tommyknockers was my favorite all time King book...

The movie was deplorable though. I was hoping they would have done a good job because the book was outrageously amazing!

 

[32winspl]

Hey Deerhunter. After all those books that always elicited thinks like BS!, or, You Fricken DA! from me, I was just thrilled to actually see one. Other than fiction books, (Hey,if it's in PRINT, it MUST be true, right?), I'd never even heard of a rev with a safety.

 

[Tommygunn]

I know some single action .22 rimfire revolvers have safeties on them. My sister's little heritage-arms .22 I sold to her (made 10 bucks out of the deal) had a safety on it that stopped the hammer from coming into contact with the revolver. Not saying they don't exist... But in nothing larger than .22 rimfire.

There actually have been revolvers with safeties, and bigger than .22
There was a British TV series, THE AVENGERS which featured a pretty heroine named Emma Peel. One of her weapons was some funky old British revolver which had a safety on the frame under the hammer.

 

[rero360]

I've always been a fan of king, dark tower series is my all time favorite, along with the stand, it, the shining, tommyknockers, rita hayworth and the shawshank redemption. my biggest complaint about his writing is it seems like he spends all that time building up the story then he doesn't know how to resolve it so many of his stories just end very abrutly.

as far as King's goofs in his books in regards to weapons, I think they're pretty minor compared to some other writers out there. but he's pretty good about it most of the time, like in the stand one character has a KB with a revolver, but it also kills her so eh.

 

[Oleg Volk]

Many European revolvers had safeties (French, German, Belgian especially).

 

[2Lman]

I don't know for certain, but I don't think that Stephen King is anti gun. He may be a flaming liberal, but not all liberals are anti gun.

He taught at the high school I graduated from before his writing days (before I attended there, btw.) However, the English department head during his teaching days was one of my English teachers. He was good friends with Stephen King, and did some of the editing for his books. I remember him having an editors copy of the book "It" that he was helping with, and he even read us passages, and his proposed corrections.

This teacher had a huge collection of handguns. I remember him telling our creative writing class all about them, and how he loved to shoot them until his illness left his hands with so much shake that he couldn't aim straight. He taught us a little sub section on logic, and one of the articles he used to teach with was one of the anti gun articles at the time about how evil Glocks were because they could be taken through a metal detector. He took personal offense to this, as he owned at least one Glock. He showed us why that claim was false, and taught us to apply certain tests to anything you read to determine truth or fallacy, no matter what your views were.

This teacher was also a flaming liberal. However, loved his guns. And he also believed in applying logic to anything, and that everyone had a right to their own opinion. I remember him telling us, that in 1972, he joined the NRA, and made a contribution to the democratic party. "Didn't I get some strange mail that year!" was what he told us. The lesson was also not to assume things based on one part of a person.

Sorry about the walk down memory lane, but I know that when my teacher was alive, any gun references were checked through him. He has probably been dead for 20 years, so after that, accuracy in gun references might have gone down hill.

 

[MASTEROFMALICE]

Warning!!! Warning To The Readers Of The Dark Tower Series!!!

When you get to book 7 and Stephen King tells you to stop reading the book........STOP READING!!!!

Trust me on this.

 

[herohog]

+1

 

[Rey B]

How else was he going to end it?

 

[psyopspec]

I've never seen a bad King movie. Like 'em all even that silly thing Langoliers.

Maximum Overdrive, anyone?

I just picked up Dark Tower I today. It's been on my list for a couple years now (after reading a preview included in his short story collection), and I've heard quite a few good things about the series. If you dislike King's novels, his collection of short stories has a few gems in it. Good news is if you dislike the story you're on, skip it and move on to the next one.

And he also believed in applying logic to anything, and that everyone had a right to their own opinion.

Your teacher sounds like he was one heck of a human being, and a rare type in the education system. It would be nice if more kids could be so lucky.

 

[VirgilCaine]

As I'm finishing up the sixth book, Song of Susannah, in his series, I thought I should share a quote from the book that took me by surprise.

Um, okay. King had a similar line like that way, way, way back in The Drawing of the Three, when Roland first goes into Eddie's head on the jetliner and sees that everyone is unarmed, not a gun, or a knife or sword or club or anything, and how if someone were to attack them they would die not with looks of pain or fear or anger, but surprise and shock on their faces.

I mean, I've only really read The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three (both of which I enjoyed a lot) but those first came out twenty or thirty years ago, and I remember books really well...

 

[mjrodney]

FWIW, Stephen King lives nearby, and from the outside looking in, access to his place would appear to be a bit too easy for someone of his celebrity status.

I can't imagine that household being without a firearm or two.

Star power draws all sorts of kooks.

 

[Big Mike]

Agree, it is an excellent series. No comment on the ending though I've often thought it could be an great mini-series or series of movies. Mike

 

[Deer Hunter]

I've been warned about the ending, but it wont stop me from finishing it. I remember The Drawing of Three now, Virgil, but I hadn't read that since my freshman year in high school. I remember now that part in the book. Good times, good times.

 

[1911Tuner]

Don't know if it was intentional, but the Virginian Dragoon single-action revolver that I had a few years back had a hammer block safety that was pretty neat. With the hammer at half-cock...push the spring-loaded takedown plunger beside the cylinder pin...push the cylinder pin to the rear and release the plunger. It locked in place and positively blocked the hammer.

To release...Cock the hammer and push the takedown plunger in. The cylinder pin would reset to its normal position, and allow the hammer to bust a cap.