[BLUEHAWK]

Good short article in THE NEW YORKER (October 20,2003, page 176):

"POINT-BLANK" by: Michael Agger

[excerpts]


"Rick Washburn, a weapons coordinator, has a disarming way of greeting people: "Are you the guy that needs the 9-millimetre?" He works out of his loft apartment, a converted doll factory in Soho. Truncheons, scimitars, and pipes lean against one wall, while a cat sleeps on the desk. A large walk-in safe contains more than 300 guns, and that represents only a small part of Washburn's arsenal...

When he brings his guns to the set, the actors often take the weapons and start "cowboying around with them." He has a little demonstration that helps dampen the Old West atmosphere...

Washburn hails from a part of Arkansas where it's not unusual for your sister to have a firearm, so he decided to offer his advice...

Weapons Specialists, Ltd... If you want a war, he can do medieval, colonial, civil, modern and future. He knows a guy in Jersey who can get you tanks...

Of recent films, Washburn admired the final shootout in "Open Range", but he consider most cinematic gunmanship to be bogus. "It's not their fault, but directors watch movies and they get bad ideas."...

Whenever anyone asks Washburn to do something risky with one of his weapons, he asks the person in question to demonstrate on himself. That usually ends the conversation."