So, I'm not that familiar with guns and I want to know what website or books that talks about guns. Like, how they work and types and all of that.
About guns
- Thread starter storiesweaver
- Start date
Hi Gabriela!
So,what's your story about? What period of time? What kind of characters and what kind of guns? Firearms is a huge, huge domain, so it will help to focus a little!
Here are some interesting sites for writing about firearms, probably better once you give a little more info about your focus!
https://janefriedman.com/writing-about-guns/
https://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/things-you-should-know-about-guns/
That second article was sent to me by someone else, fun reading but does assume some knowledge. One thing you might want to do is take a basic NRA pistol class, depending on what you need. That will let you hold and fire a variety of pistols, and could give you some great background. Otherwise, great resources in this forum, once you get a little more specific about what you need!
So,what's your story about? What period of time? What kind of characters and what kind of guns? Firearms is a huge, huge domain, so it will help to focus a little!
Here are some interesting sites for writing about firearms, probably better once you give a little more info about your focus!
https://janefriedman.com/writing-about-guns/
https://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/things-you-should-know-about-guns/
That second article was sent to me by someone else, fun reading but does assume some knowledge. One thing you might want to do is take a basic NRA pistol class, depending on what you need. That will let you hold and fire a variety of pistols, and could give you some great background. Otherwise, great resources in this forum, once you get a little more specific about what you need!
If you can give a little more detail (time period, location, usage), I might be able to recommend some resources. Are you primarily interested in understanding the physics/mechanics of how firearms work, in being able to accurately describe the tactical usage of firearms (e.g., law enforcement or military applications), in describing the training someone goes through to become proficient with a firearm, or in exploring the social, ethical, and political issues surrounding firearms?
I know next to nothing about guns either but I bought this on the recommendation of someone here and it's really useful: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1599638150/?tag=absowrit-20
I haven't read this, but I've heard good things. I think it would probably be a good place to start.
Yeah it's pretty good - not perfect, and his style takes a bit of getting used to, but it was certainly a decent enough overview for a novice like me.
By the way, ask a more specific question or give us a situation you're developing in your writing and we can provide a lot of knowledge. Something like "I have two characters that are armed and robbing a liquor store in Calhoun, Texas, what types of guns should I be thinking of and how would they use them?" is a great way to get really useful suggestions.
Welcome to a life of learning.
Jeff
By the way, ask a more specific question or give us a situation you're developing in your writing and we can provide a lot of knowledge. Something like "I have two characters that are armed and robbing a liquor store in Calhoun, Texas, what types of guns should I be thinking of and how would they use them?" is a great way to get really useful suggestions.
Welcome to a life of learning.
Jeff
Great point, Jeff. And a great example.
One thing I'd add is that a lot of writers fail to consider how a person's background influences his or her firearm choices.
For instance, in the above example, the robbers could be using any type of firearm; however, the determining factor is less likely to be the nature or location of the crime but, rather, the backgrounds of the robbers.
If one of the robbers is ex-military, there is a good chance he or she is going to use a Beretta pistol--it's been the military's standard-issue sidearm since the mid-1980s; therefore, it's the handgun many veterans are most comfortable with.
If one of the robbers is actually an undercover law enforcement officer, he or she is unlikely to use a Beretta because the Beretta's double-action/open-slide configuration isn't popular among law enforcement agencies, which prefer single-action/striker-fired handguns.
If this is a period piece set in the early '80s, the robbers are likely to be using revolvers or Colt 1911s (the military's standard-issue sidearm from the early 1900s until the mid-1980s).
If you're writing about a shootout between rival street gangs in Chicago, you have to look at where those guns are coming from. Most are going to come from thefts or straw purchases out of state, so most of the firearms are going to be, for lack of a better term, basic. You're not going to see a bunch of suppressed submachine guns because NFA (National Firearms Act)-restricted weapons like that are rare, not the types of guns an inner-city street gang is likely to acquire on the black market (unless you've established that this gang has a hookup who is selling them arms stolen from the U.S. military or smuggled in from Eastern Europe).