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I�m a gunwriter because ONE of my articles has been printed. It was about my experiences with the Scout rifle concept, and it ran in the Steyr-Mannlicher Collector�s Association newsletter the summer I finished college.

My Dad was (and still is) crazy about guns. He was on the Oklahoma National Guard rifle team when I was a kid, and I still think of him every time I hear someone chamber a round in an M-14. I shot the National Match Course for with an M-1 when I was about 12 years old, and didn�t finish last. He taught me to hunt on huge ranches on the Edwards Plateau in Texas in the 70�s before the days of feeders and growth hormones.

When I got old enough, I spent three years in the Guard. The team shooters were assigned to the same armory and went to practice sessions instead of going to drill. But I was in an infantry unit that went to the field all the time, which I loved, so I chose to drill with my them and go to practice sessions. It was a busy schedule, but I got plenty of ammo and plenty of exercise. I shot everything I could every chance I could. In those innocent days we kept our match guns at home, and my S&W M-41 had holster wear when I finally turned it in.

After three years in the Guard, I joined the Regular Army. Graham-Rudman budget cuts and �the needs of the Army� let me get waivers to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course, but I had to repeat Basic Training and go to Jump School first. When I finished the SFQC, I served on A-Detachments at Ft. Bragg, NC and at Ft. Lewis, WA. I spent a lot of time carrying various weapons in the field, which gave me a lot of insight in to what a soldier really needs out of his gear. I got lots of trigger time with some interesting weapons, but aside from bar fights and a scare or two, I was never in combat. After six and a half years in SF, I left the Army.

For the next several years, I worked in gun shops, taught shooting classes, ran ranges and read almost every word that Jeff Cooper ever wrote. Based on his work and on my military experience, I began to favor his modern methods over the classic disciplines. I was married with kids by then and had reached the point where I couldn�t support a family working in gun shops, so I went back to school and earned a degree in writing.

Now I�m a copywriter. I work in ad agencies, which is like getting paid to eat chocolate cake. Along with writing, I study how media are evolving and how that affects buying decisions. I think print journalism will always have a place, but it�s ruled by brands and it only sends ideas one way so I don�t know what that place will be. The real action is on the internet. It moves so much faster and lets people communicate so much more easily that our voices as individuals are now louder than a brand�s voice. In that sense, we�ve all become gunwriters.

So other than the one article I mentioned at the start of this post, I�m a gunwriter on the internet. My work is worth what you pay for it.


Okie John