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When it comes to guns, Hollywood suffers from a self-imposed dissociative identity disorder. On the one hand, we have stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger making fabulous careers for themselves portraying heroes who solve problems using guns as tools to fight evil, and on the other hand, we have politicians like Arnold Schwarzenegger signing edicts that infringe on the ability of his audience and constituents to do just that.
This isn't new. Here's an example from half a century ago.
Regular Gun Rights Examiner and War on Guns readers are by now familiar with an established feature on the Guns Magazine website: Every month, they post a .pdf file of their corresponding month's issue from 50 years ago.
The October 1959 edition is now online.
As always, it provides a fascinating window into the past through both classic ads and features. This issue takes us to Camp Perry, for the "Mad Minute" infantry trophy competition. We meet a commandante of the Cuban revolution from Toledo, Ohio, of all places (Castro was once the darling of the media, and this is not the first time the magazine fell for the romanticized illusion being promulgated), who converted Winchester rifles, M1 carbines and hand-made parts into burp guns! We get thoughts on the meaning of the Second Amendment from some lawmakers of the day (just like with the Gun Rights Questionnaire, you'll note the straight talkers and the weasel-worders). And...but I'm getting far afield of what I wanted to talk about. You can enjoy discovering the rest of the contents yourself.
Back to Hollywood, and it's love/hate relationship with guns. From "Crossfire," the letters section on page 10 (click on images to enlarge):
On target. And prophetic.
Click here to download the October 1959 issue of Guns Magazine. Note it's a large file, so if you have an older computer or are on dial-up service, it may take a while. The other option for getting these issues is to purchase CD-ROMs. They are currently available for 1955, 1956 and 1957.
Comments
The elitist campaigns to disarm ordinary people are nothing new. It's been going on for centuries.
To use a cliché, "The best defense is a good offensive".
Gun owners need to turn up the noise to drown out the propaganda of the gun haters and spread information and facts about firearm possession compared to other everyday devices. The more I read and understand the facts pertaining to gun ownership the more proficient I become at arguing those facts when I run into a hostile gun grabber in public.
I have found that in each encounter with gun haters when their propaganda is challenged with a calm and knowledgeable counter argument they ALWAYS lose the argument. Then they almost always revert to personal attacks in an attempt to score points.
Thanks for the article David.
I don't remember enough of the actual story lines of "Highway Patrol" to judge whether they presented armed citizens as bumbling novices... but in a show having Broderick Crawford as the star, I imagine that any subsidiary character that showed any competence or resourcefulness at all stood too strong a chance of upstaging him.
"10-4."
"That's a 10-4."
"Yeah. 10-4."
David, We need a grass roots movement spearheaded by the NRA to take the gloves and the moderate politically correct "reasonable" faceplate it now wears and recognise that there is a war in this country about whether or not America will live IN THE FUTURE according to it's constitutionally guaranteed rights--or not. The gun banners have long since proven that THEY WILL NEVER GIVE UP UNTIL THEY WIN BY DESTROYING THE FREEDOMS WE ENJOY. Traitors like Arnold, Mayor Bloomberg,and Mayor Daley are now waging this unlawful war OPENLY! There is no middle ground, no compromise, no truce in this war. Freedom will win, or it will lose. UNMASK THE LYING LIBERAL TRAITORS LIKE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AND THE GUN BANNER LIES THEY USE TO DESTROY THE CONSTITUTION. ROLL BACK ALL UNCONSTITUTIONAL GUN CONTROL LAWS !!!
Unmask, with their history of prioritizing political access, I would not look to Fairfax for leadership in anything so unequivocal as what you suggest.
I know, but I figure it's worth suggesting.
P.S. Thanks for another great article.
Dave, a couple of days ago, I posted on an article from your fellow Examiner Kurt Hoffman, re Schwartzenegger's hypocrisy about guns. In fact, it was pretty much what your first paragraph here says. I also mentioned that it was hypocritical of people to excoriate Charlton Heston for being pro 2A in real life, when he played Moses in a movie.
In addition to Schwartzenegger, Gregory Peck, Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery are/were virulently anti-gun in real life.
I don't know why, but I was naive enough to think Schwartzenegger would squelch any gun control bills when he was elected governor. I think the scent of the Kennedy clan is too deeply embedded in Maria Shriver.
Luis, that comment about Maria Shriver's scent was both sexist and degrading. Do another one, do another one!!
Is Clint Eastwood anti-gun?? I never knew this. If it is true it is VERY disappointing, and I will be forced to change my opinion of him.
too bad hollywood doesn't deop into the ocean and take all those preverts with it.
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