By: Ricky Casner
Since I was young, I have loved watching fast action “shoot-em-up” films. These films often glorify the adventures of the “good guys,” who always manage to conquer no matter the odds stacked against them. These silver screen “heroes” overcome amazing challenges, inspiring us regular folk to gain confidence in our God-given natural abilities as “good guys” to defeat our enemies. But are these abilities really natural, especially when it comes to firearms?
“Natural Abilities”
No. In fact, even after they are developed, firearms and self-defense skills are highly depreciable.2 When participating in reality-based firearms training, one quickly finds that Hollywood’s action movies are not often an accurate representation of reality. Hollywood does not often depict their good guys “… applying tourniquets to stop massive bleeding, loved ones being shot accidentally by the home-owner[s] who didn’t know their fields of fire …, [or] good guys being paralyzed or [being placed] in the ICU.”3
Moreover, in Hollywood the “… good guys [usually] aren’t charged with felonies or [faced with bankruptcy for] defending themselves to [keep] from going to prison.”3 “As a result, too many people have a false sense of confidence that … everything will be ok.”3 For this reason, in this blog, I have stressed a citizen’s responsibility to receive adequate firearms training before carrying a firearm for self-defense.
As debates continually rage over magazine capacities, “assault rifles,” background checks, and mental illness and firearms, it becomes clear from the many regurgitated partisan narratives that Hollywood is performing much of today’s firearms education. Is that not a scary thought? Who gave Hollywood that authority?
Who Gave Hollywood Authority?
It has never ceased to amaze me that actors like Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, and Sylvester Stallone, who make a substantial profit masquerading as gun-toting heroes, villainize firearms and those who carry them.1 Their anti-gun attitudes are even more alarming in light of the fact that their movies contribute to the false confidence displayed by many untrained citizens, leading to gun related accidents and deaths.
The moral of the story:
If you live in a Hollywood movie, you have no need to fear, only rely on your natural God-given abilities. Normal firearms rules, legalities, and death/dismemberment do not apply to you. You can keep your finger on the trigger at all times, shoot a million rounds without reloading (until it actually counts), and shoot heat-seeking rounds that will always find their target.4 Moreover, you certainly won’t have to worry about the innocent people you may have shot, the legal battles you will have to fight, or the nightmares you will have to endure. Most importantly, if you live in a Hollywood movie, there is no reason to receive formal firearms training as you will already know it all.
If you live in the real world, nature’s and society’s laws and rules do apply. You will most certainly be responsible for the innocent lives around you, the legal battles you will fight following your choice to use deadly force, and the thoughts and nightmares that often follow an armed encounter. Therefore, if you choose to live in the real world and carry or own a firearm, it is your responsibility to receive adequate training that will keep you and those around you safe.
Please watch the following humorous video regarding Hollywood’s gun myths.
References
- G&A Online Editors. (2012, February 24). 8 surprising anti-gun celebrities. Retrieved 2017, from Guns&Ammo: http://www.gunsandammo.com/uncategorized/8-surprising-anti-gun-celebrities/
- Needs, J. (n.d.). Are you ready to carry a defensive firearm? Retrieved 2017, from Personal Defense Network: https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/ready-carry-defensive-firearm/
- Schneider, M. (2017). Hollywood vs. reality. (R. Casner, Interviewer)
- Vandivier, C. (2016, December 10). Hollywood drives us nuts with these 9 gun mistakes . Retrieved 2017, from Wide Open Spaces: http://www.wideopenspaces.com/9-gun-mistakes-movies-make-drive-gun-owners-crazy-pics/
- com. (2016, August 5). Top 5 gun myths that Hollywood taught us. Retrieved 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1opzXTzC6g
About Ricky Casner
In 2008, following a two year ecclesiastical mission, Ricky chose to focus his professional endeavors on firearms and firearms education. In 2010, Ricky graduated from the Colorado School of Trades with an associate degree in Gunsmithing. Since that time, Ricky has practiced as a gunsmith, built machine guns for foreign and domestic militaries, and owned and operated a Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) business in Colorado. Currently, Ricky is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Idaho in Recreation, Tourism, and Sports Management and is the Marketing Director for Forward Movement Training Center in Meridian, Idaho.
