Thank God I Had A Gun
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Since 07-05-08

Book Review:
Thank God I Had A Gun
written by: Chris Bird


http://usconcealedcarry.org/free/thankgod.html

By Rev. David Beeson
From USConcealedCarry.com


 


 
I was taken aback when I first opened the package containing Chris Bird's book Thank God I Had A Gun. The cover picture hit a little too close to home. I have a five year-old who likes Spiderman and looks similar to the pictured boy. Instantly, I envisioned my son Jeffrey sitting on my bed, afraid for his life. It made me glad of my decision to carry a gun. While we sometimes get wrapped up in arguments of single action versus double action, steel versus polymer, or revolver versus automatic, we must always remember that the self-defense issue comes down to someone protecting his family. Thank God I Had A Gun is a collection of fourteen true self-defense stories. Some are what you might call "ordinary" self-defense tales. That is, they end simply and quickly with no harm to either party. Others are horrifying accounts of assault and infringement, involving robbery and even death. Some have relatively happy endings. Others do not. In either case, you get a good dose of real world self-defense experiences.

I am glad the author asked me to review Thank God I Had A Gun. I normally lean toward reading more technical books and therefore would not have naturally chosen this book. However, it did several very important things. First, because of the story format, I was able to give this book to my wife. She read Deanna Eggleston's home invasion account. This story greatly impacted her, and I believe this book will play an important step in her obtaining a concealed carry license. For some, it takes a while to warm up to the idea of carrying a gun. This book can help those people with their decision more than any technical manual or book on tactics ever could. Most people do not struggle with how, when or what they will carry, but why. This manuscript gives the reader fourteen different excellent reasons why responsible citizens should carry guns. (UPDATE: I started this review and then took a short break for the holidays. During that time, my wife took her CCW class and is on her way to getting her permit).

Thank God I Had A Gun also helped me. It was this book that convinced me I needed to do more to support the beloved Second Amendment. After I began reading it, I contacted the National Rifle Association and upgraded my membership to Life Member status. They offer a payment system that allows you to pay monthly installments toward Life Membership. If you can afford twenty dollars a month, I strongly suggest you investigate this option.

Now about the book. The stories themselves basically consist of several parts: the background, the incident, the aftermath, and the reflections. The background segment gives information about the person and his setting. I found most of this irrelevant, adding little to the story's depth. The incident section explains what happens: the events immediately leading up to the action of self-defense. One thing I like about some of these stories is that they include partial 9-1-1 telephone call transcripts. This adds a degree of reality to the story. The aftermath section covers everything after the life-threatening event. It addresses police arrival, questioning, the judicial process, news coverage, and the like. It was this section that both angered and enlightened me. It angered me because I saw, quite vividly, how law enforcement sometimes worked against the citizen who took steps to defend herself.

In some cases, the citizens were treated little better than the criminals. Their guns were confiscated, as is normal. However, the law enforcement agencies took months to return the lawfully owned and operated guns. On a better note, this section is also informative. It provides the real responses of the citizens and the real aftereffects of the altercation. Professionals state certain things may happen after a gunfight. However, reading about an ordinary person experiencing these things makes it more of a reality. For example, Rory Vertigan suffered temporary hearing loss in his left ear after he fired 14 rounds of .357 Sig from his Glock. Additionally, he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Moving along, the reflections section takes a look back over the entire incident. It includes victims' comments as to what they could have done differently. This section, too, reveals blunders and infringements by police officers.

Thank God I Had A Gun is an effective collection of self-defense tales. I call it "effective" because it does do what it is designed to do. It makes the reader consider the possibility that bad things can happen to good people, and those good people (responsible, armed citizens in this setting) can successfully respond to said things. If you know someone who is considering carrying, then Chris Bird's book may help convince him to exercise his Second Amendment right.

Copyright 2007 by Chris Bird. Privateer Publications: San Antonio, TX

Rev. David Beeson is the Assistant Pastor at a Pentecostal church in Shreveport, LA. His carry guns currently include a Kahr CW9 and a Glock 19. He enjoys reading, preaching, shooting and spending time with his family. You can reach him at w5qap@hotmail.com.  

 

Dear Friend,

I hope you enjoyed this complimentary article from the United States Concealed Carry Association.

Take care and stay safe,


Tim Schmidt
Founder, US Concealed Carry
Publisher, Concealed Carry Magazine
Publisher, USCCA Inner Circle

P.S. - In that book, you read about people who all have one thing in common- they are VERy thankful that they had guns when evil came knocking.

You have already made the decision to be armed when this happens to you- now make the empowering decision to have the know-how and tactics as well, so that you'll be prepared should you ever find yourself in one of these situations!