Stephen King/guns

[einstein]

This was discussed couple weeks ago. I don't recall the following quote being mentioned:

"All three were turned toward the front-toward Roland and Eddie-and on their faces was the eternal uncomprehending look of the gunless civilian."

Good line, huh? It continues:

"Roland sometimes thought it a grass-eating look, as though such folk-those in Calla Bryn Sturgis mostly no different-were sheep instead of people."

(From the hardcover version of SONGS OF SUSANNAH bottom of page 130 thru the top of 131.)

einstein

 

[Valkman]

I haven't read anythign by King in a while, but Dean Koontz seems to be pro-gun also. In the last one I read the main couple had 2 guns - a 9mm for her and a Mossy shotgun for him. And they used them often!

 

[grimlock]

That one was mine. Here's a link to it.

 

[Stand_Watie]

I haven't read anythign by King in a while, but Dean Koontz seems to be pro-gun also. In the last one I read the main couple had 2 guns - a 9mm for her and a Mossy shotgun for him. And they used them often!

Dean Koontz, as I read him by his work, is an unapologetic catholic, and an unashamed conservative (two things which are not always synonomous). I find him being pro-gun less incongruous than Stephen King being pro-gun.

He's also a dog-lover which says good things about him too

 

[George Hill]

King is a pretty good guy actually. Hangs out and plays music with Dave Berry or something like that. You can also actually talk to King, which is very cool. Unlike Tom Clancy who thinks he is some sort of rock star. Harold Coyle is a very cool cat too and will talk to you about tactics or something while he's saying pass the ketchup.
I don't like reading the work of pricks... which is probably the main reason I'll never read Clinton's book. Either Clinton.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I'd like to talk to harold coyle. that man is my hero.

 

[Trebor]

Larry Bond was one of the presenters at the Origins War College at last week's Origins Game Con in Columbus. Very nice guy and very approachable. He also runs "Harpoon" games at the con every year. Kinda neat to play with the guy who wrote the rules.

 

[Treylis]

King is a pretty good guy actually. Hangs out and plays music with Dave Berry or something like that. You can also actually talk to King, which is very cool.

Really? If any of you folks talk to King, tell him that he's off his rocker when it comes to nuclear power. ;-)

 

[gggman]

King is a staunch Democrat, so I'm surprised that he's pro gun.
He is actually a very down to earth guy, for a gazillionaire. I've seen him in the supermarket doing his grocery shopping, as well as other places around town. His house is about a mile from where I work.

 

[mtnbkr]

I read that passage last night (I am about 10 pages past that point now) and wondered when it would show up on THR.

Chris

 

[BluesBear]

"Lightning" is my favorite Koontz book. Oneof my all time favorite books and I reread it about every other year.
The guns, gun handling and gun attitudes in that book are exceptional.

 

[JGReed]

GGGMAN,

Hey, I'm another Maine THR'er...sent you an email.

 

[GSB]

King is definitely NOT pro-gun, regardless of what he might write in his books. I've seen interviews with him. He's definitely strongly anti in "real" life.

edit for additional info: The interview I specifically have in mind was one in which he was asked if he thought violent entertainment, such as his novels, contributed to violent behavior among teens (or children, or whatever) and he went off on a rant about how it's not the media, it's the availability of guns and how the only difference between the U.S. and other countries that could account for our level of violence was the availability of guns.

 

[Tinker]

There was a film several years ago that was based on a Steven King book. The movie was called "Stand By Me". It's about 4 young boys who go on a trek to be the first to find a dead body. Set in the 1960's. .

Near the end, the four of them are attacked by some older teens and they use a surplus 1911 they've been carrying to run the punks off.

I don't find a pro-gun Democrat all that unusual, BTW. I've seen a few. My father is such a case. He's of deep south "yellow dog" stock and spent most of his working years in unions.

It pains him at election time when I tell him that I just cancelled his vote.

 

[bogie]

King _really_ wants to ban minivans...

 

[birddog]

I just got to this section of Song of Susannah the night before last, and it got me thinking about his reference to sheeple, lol.

Before I got thinking too hard about whether Stephen King really believes that particular little line is open to debate, but the more I though about it, the more I doubt it.

He's just doing what he does best; putting himself in the mind of one of his characters and imagining what *they* would be thinking. I don't know his stance on guns, but it isn't necessarily pro-gun just because one of his characters is a gunslinger.

By way of explanation, I doubt he went out and bought a bunch of plus-sized dresses after placing himself in the mind of Delores Claiborne....

 

[spacemanspiff]

after reading the dark tower series, i think that King is a bit fascinated by the gun culture, but he is also more than a bit intimidated.

i think that quite a bit of the dialogue between him and the gunslingers in Song of Susannah shows that he likes thinking and writing about guns, but doesnt want to be near them.

what was that he said to roland and eddie? "its against my religion to ...."

i forget how he ended that line. something about irritating those who are armed.

 

[grimlock]

I don't have the book in front of me, but it was something like, "Hey man, it's against my religion to argue with people who have guns."

 

[Rosstradamus]

King is definitely NOT pro-gun, regardless of what he might write in his books. I've seen interviews with him. He's definitely strongly anti in "real" life.

Yep.

 

[bob bowie]

The post implying King made anti-gun gun comments saddened, as I am a pretty big fan, but it is true. One can find them in the following speech: www.horrorking.com /interview7.html . Apparently, he has expressed the same feelings in various foreign press interviews.

Not the most venomous of screads, but he seems to have developed a slight anti-gun tilt.

Edit: Oops, the link doesn't want to work. If you go to the www.horrorking.com site, under the interviews section, you'll find a interview titled: Stephen King's Keynote Address to the Vermont Library Conference. The firearms comments are there.

 

[GSB]

I think I now remember the context of the interview. IIRCit was after Columbine and some people were making the connection between the shootings and a story King wrote (I don't remember which one, but I think it was about a school shooting). At the time, I thought it might have just been King trying to get the spotlight off him, but it sounds like from the above post that it's more than that.

 

[bob bowie]

Yes, a connection was drawn between King's novelle Rage and the Columbine killers. This led to King discussing his views on what, I guess the media would call the "culture of violence" .

The link seems to work now if folks want to view it.

 

[mec]

Koontz actually does enough research that his representations of guns are accurate. King has been known to stick safety catches on revolvers and invent a .38 Colt Woodsman (The Stand). It looks like he he did a bit of gun culture research to come up with the "grass-eater" analogy and his Dark Tower books probably sell quite a few single actions.

I read this last tower book and realized I had missed the one about the wolves. Probably stayed away from it because of the anti-gun statements in the interviews mentioned above.

King is not likely to turn into a gun enthusiast. He has been loosing his vision for a long time now and probably couldn't enjoy shooting at this juncture.

 

[El Tejon]

Trebor, HARPOON!!! Man, I haven't played that in ages! What a great game.

Used to play it with the boys from Crane. Memories.

 

[SodiumBenzoate]

I'd agree that King leans anti, but he definitely is not the worst of the popular authors.

I wonder where Clancy fits in. He seems to have both pro- and anti-gun moments in his various books.