U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post wrote that the Second Amendment is the ‘refuge of bumpkins and yeehaws who like to think they are protecting their homes against imagined swarthy marauders desperate to steal their flea-bitten sofas from rotting front door porches,’” the preface to Robert A. Waters’ and Sim Waters’ “Guns and Self-Defense” recounts. “Well, not quite.”
Guns and Self-Defense: 23 Inspirational True Crime Stories of Survival with Firearms
“Not quite,” indeed. As the subtitle indicates, the “1st in a series” book by the father/son authors features “23 Inspirational True Crime Stories of Survival with Firearms.” And “inspirational” by no means covers the gamut of emotions I felt when going through gripping tales of real people defending themselves and others, compiled from news accounts, police reports, 9-1-1 calls, court transcripts and interviews with the people involved.
We are plunged right into the account of an armed neighbor who stopped a “sadistic rampage” by a “heavy-set attacker” holding a 12-inch knife to his former fiancé’s throat while trying to drown their one-year-old twins. Then there’s the terrifying blow-by-blow of an octogenarian couple brutally attacked by an armed home invader who two days earlier had gone on “a random killing spree.”
The reader will meet convenience store clerks fired for defending themselves from armed robbers because corporate policy deems their lives cheaper than perceived risk liabilities. They’ll meet a “nurse who singlehandedly stopped a vicious car-jacking ring in Milwaukee.”
Without going through a synopsis of all the stories, Robert Waters has summarized the details on one, “The Demise of the Cutthroat Committee,” offering the opinion:
“The violence inflicted on this law-abiding family will amaze and anger you, but their courage will inspire you.
“Oh yeah, one other little detail. Had the family not had guns in the house, they, and probably their grandson, would be dead. And yet, this is not the whole story. In this and other cases in our book, the dramatic “story behind the story” is often as exciting as the climax.”
I concur, but that doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been a “fan” of his writing for many years, having given an enthusiastic review to “The Best Defense: True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves with a Firearm.” And yes, I grok that you can get armed self-defense stories from a lot of places, NRA’s “Armed Citizen” being notable, but Robert and Sims Waters go the extra miles to flesh out the humanity of fellow citizens faced with terrifying decisions that we pray are never forced on us. In a way, we are put inside their skins, meaning once started, the book is hard to put down.
My longstanding policy is I only give good reviews. If I like something, I’ll happily endorse it; if I don’t care for it, I’ll say nothing because it’s not fair to impose my subjective preferences on someone else’s labor of love.
That’s ultimately what “Guns and Self-Defense” is all about, good people prevailing over bad and through their preparedness, will, and courage, being able to go on with their lives, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. What’s not to love?
Unless you’re a monopoly of violence cultist snarking for The Washington Post. In that case, you obviously presume yourself smarter and more sophisticated than gun hicks living in ramshackle hovels with shabby furniture who must be racists, otherwise the word “swarthy” would have been nothing but a gratuitous, contempt-motivated swipe. Still, it’s not unfair (but it might be fun) to wonder what ol’ Gene would be able to do and how he would prove his superiority in any of the scenarios fleshed out in this book.
You can order a (digital or paperback) copy of “Guns and Self-Defense: 23 Inspirational True Crime Stories of Survival with Firearms,” and of previous books at the links on this page or at RobertWaters.net.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.