Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes
Written: Dec 29 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wonderful photos, no bias at all
Cons: Not a one!
The Bottom Line: It shows you that gun owners come from all walks of life.
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| phungus's Full Review: Kyle Cassidy - Armed America: Portraits of Gun Own... |
Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes is the ultimate coffee table book for those of us who still believe the Second Amendment is just as important as the First. It’s a photo journal of various people and families all across America who share one common trait – They are gun owners. Amazon.com voted this one of the best 100 books of 2007.
In the book’s introduction, Cassidy writes about how he was inspired to produce this book. He had a chance meeting with a political analyst who talked about how difficult it was for candidates to nail the ‘gun vote’, meaning the group of Americans who own guns. The reason is that gun owners make up such a diverse segment of the population. Gun owners, myself enthusiastically included, come in every race, political affiliation, and religious (or lack of religious) grouping you can imagine. With this in mind, Cassidy went on a 15,000-mile road trip across America to meet gun owners and ask them one simple question – “Why do you own a gun?” The responses were as diverse as the people.
I do not hide the fan that I am a gun owner, deer hunter, and NRA member. Being someone who firmly believes in upholding the Second Amendment and making sure people have the right to defend themselves, I always handle books like this with great scrutiny. More often than not, guns are demonized by the media when I think the problem is the person behind the gun, and not the tool they use to commit their crimes. When I first heard about this book, I fully expected it to be something Michael Moore might embrace, but after skimming the pages and ultimately buying my own copy, I found this wonderful book to be completely without bias or nefarious objective. It’s just a bunch of pictures of people with their guns. Just flipping through this book, it is clear that the people – not the guns – are the centerpiece of each photograph.
This book is presented with a giant full color photo on one page and a brief bit of text on the other. In this text, it prints the people’s response to the question of why they own a gun. There are quite a few common themes that appear in their responses. Several people equate gun ownership to keeping a fire extinguisher in the house. Like the adage goes, it is better to have one and not need than to need one and not have it. Only about a third of the people pictured admit to being hunters, while some only shoot targets or traps. The most common thread is that people keep their guns around for protection. Several people have guns as antique collectibles, such as rifles used during World War II or family heirlooms that had been passed down through the generations. I can relate to this because I own two handguns that once belonged to my grandparents, who are now deceased.
In one photo, it pictures two women who own guns. One woman says that she was once a victim of a sexual assault, and ever since she has carried a gun to protect herself. In another photo, a young couple admit to living in a somewhat rough neighborhood and they feel a lot safer having a gun nearby. In two separate photographs, it shows two Jewish gun owners who both mention the Holocaust and how they take personal security very seriously. In case you didn’t know, the Nazis disarmed the Jews in Germany. That made it a lot easier for them to be rounded up and sent off to concentration camps when the Jews didn’t have a means to defend themselves. Keep that in mind when you vote for our next President.
The photographs in this book were all taken in the homes of the gun owners, because showing the inside of their home is essential to portraying the personality of the people. In the introduction, Cassidy talks about how he loves to visit people’s homes because the way they live says lots about them. Many of the people in this book were photographed with their pets, plus I noticed a great many of them were barefoot. I also noticed that many older people had much better kept houses than younger ones, and the people with children seemed to have the biggest mess. Cassidy wanted to catch these gun owners in their natural habitat, though I’m sure some of them tidied up a little before he got there to take the pictures.
Armed America offers a great look at one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented aspects of American life. Gun ownership is a part of America’s past, present, and future, and this book serves to demonstrate that not everyone who owns a gun is a dumb redneck who loves George Bush.
Recommended:
Yes
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