Firearms

Guns are like thermometers, only instead of measuring body temperatures they measure our fear. - Jean Zimmerman

History

The invention of the firearm in 10th century China transformed warfare and, as the technology spread along the Silk Route the nature of combat changed fundamentally forever.

Before the arrival of the gun the outcome of a fight was determined by physical strength, determination and skill in using weapons.  As we have discussed in our post related to Martial Arts such skills with armed and unarmed fighting took considerable time to develop.  It also required courage to stand against another opponent and physically exchange blows and techniques in a competition where life itself was at stake.

Philosophical Considerations

The gun transformed the nature of combat so that a weaker person could kill a physically stronger opponent from a distance and without any risk.   The gun was, and remains, the perfect weapon for the weak to overcome a physically or numerically superior opponent.

It is these very fundamental aspects that make guns synonymous with power, respect and dominance in the 21st century.  Anyone who feels disempowered, disrespected or downtrodden looks at the possession of a firearm as the only way they can recover their dignity. 

This is a sad reflection on our modern world because it is only a small step from feeling you need a gun to feeling you need to use a gun, in order to express your perceived loss of dignity. 

Psychological Considerations

There are also notable psychological linkages between guns and sexual imagery, such that the gun is often clearly a phallic symbol in literature and modern media.   Even the rifling within the barrel can take on a sexual connotation.

It has been postulated that there may be a link between excessive interest in guns and forms of sexual overcompensation.

Guns in Fiction

I could devote several pages to how guns have been misrepresented in fiction over the past decades in literature and especially on screen.  Here are some of the most frequent gun based errors that you will find:

Impossibly quick draws and perfect accuracy

It is a cliched scene when the hero is surrounded by bad guys who already have their guns drawn and pointing at the hero.  Somehow we are expected to believe that the good guy can pull his gun from his holster, disarm any safety locks, load a round into the chamber, aim the gun and pull the trigger quicker than the bad guy can pull a trigger half an inch.  Yes, it is nonsense.

Ignoring the effects of rain, wind, cold and water

Modern firearms are usually well constructed and reliable when they are properly maintained and not exposed to adverse environments.   How many times have you seen a gun cleaned in an action movie or read it in a book?  Not very often.   Automatic handgun designs are wonderful, if you need extended magazines, but their mechanisms for loading and firing require regular maintenance.  If not they jam or misfire.   Except in fiction.

Endless magazines

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have endless supplies of things when we need them?  Especially bullets in the middle of a gunfight.  How many times have you noticed the hero in a book or movie count the number of rounds they have fired?  Or even run out of bullets?  Not often.

Bullets that cannot penetrate car doors, walls or wooden doors

Here is an even more unrealistic myth in books and movies, the expectation that bullets cannot penetrate objects.   I hate to be the one to break this to you but the whole design of calibrated weapons is that they go through objects, violently.   That includes doors, walls, plywood, desks, human beings and pretty much anything else you can think about. 

I will add here that when bullets hit things that they cannot go through they ricochet (bounce) off the hard object and randomly impact objects around them.   Yes gunfights are very dangerous places and the outcomes from firing a round are not always clear. 

Never getting shot while in a hail of bullets

Here is another cliche.  The hero gets a bunch of evil henchmen firing fully or semi-automatic machine guns and they never hit him.   Even if the henchmen were deliberately trying not to shoot the hero it is unlikely they will all miss.   Machine guns tend to pull the weapon as it discharges so accuracy is not reliable,  it does not need to be as the spray of multiple rounds is supposed to hit a wide area.

Guns in Bridge of Souls

As you can probably tell I am dedicated to writing totally realistic scenes.  Sometimes it can take me months to research a scene in my stories to make sure it is utterly realistic.

When it comes to the guns and the firefights within Bridge of Souls I was meticulous with respect to accurately describing the weapons, their capabilities and most importantly how they would behave in a real life gun fight in the location portrayed in that part of the story.

I also wanted to include a wide variety of modern and classic weapons for the entertainment of those readers who enjoy realism in their action and adventure.

Here are a selection of some of the many weapons you will find included within Bridge of Souls.


The “Jenna-El-Mootfah”

Sig Sauer P229 MIL-Spec .357 SIG (12 RND MAG).

Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan .44 Magnum revolver with 340 gr LFN + P + Buffalo Bore

Glock 17

Heckler and Koch Mk 23 Mod .45 Pistol

Heckler and Koch MP5 & MP10

Walther PP (Polizeipistole, or police pistol)

Beretta 93 “R” (“ Raffica” the Italian for "volley”)

Colt Government 1911 45 Gold plated