Weapons Coordinator

[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."

[revwardoc]

We have a similar problem with people who don't understand weaponswhen we do Rev War re-enactments. Tourists will sort of snort derisively and say, "You're just firing blanks!" One guy who said that to me was drinking coffee out of one of those Dunkin Donuts paper cups, so I took it, put it on the end of my musket barrel and fired. I easily blasted a hole through the bottom of the cup and set it the remains on fire. I then asked him if he thought his skin was as tough as that cup. He admitted it probably wasn't. Point made. You've gotta be damned careful when handling any weapon, even if it is firing blanks.

[philly]

Rev,

I couldn't agree with you more.

I had worked every Sunday afternoon at a shooting range. One afternoon, we had this older fellar walk in with a Desert Eagle. All of us Range Masters stood back admiring his weapon then I asked him to drop his magazine and lock the slide back. We took for granted this old duff knew how to handle weapons. He dropped a loaded magazine with 44 cal bullets. I asked him if he had one chambered, he said, "I don't think so." Do you think this old fool knew anything about the safe handling of a gun. Heck no! So, I took the weapon from him and what do you know, a freaken .44 bullet ejected from the chamber.

There are some people who should never own a gun...

[BLUEHAWK]

Rev & Philly -

Yup... in other places on PF we had talk some about maybe it be a good idee for high school firearms training, sorta like the ole driver's ed, no certificate, no license kinda thing. Sounds good on the surface, might save a few hundreds serious wounds or death each year?

Also, a story... the guy I bought my Missouri farm from (15 of 20 acres forested, back to back with 10 other similar farms, BIG forest) was a hunter, of anything that moved in the woods. He'd gotten used to going out the back door about 3 acres east, climbing up his tree, waiting a spell and getting the annual deer tag filled. When I bought the place I told him I didn't care if he hunted his turkey and deer back there, but just TELL me when you plan to arrive. He never did tell me, not one time. So, every season I'd hear him blasting away back there and would find sign of a kill later on... just hoping to God he remembered which direction the house lay in.

[philly]

Blue,

You're too funny.

[BLUEHAWK]

Philly, thanks, I actually try to be...

Every season I'd have to put hunter orange hats on my dogs in the hope I'd see 'em survive the warfare in my forest. No kidding.

One of my cousins family owns a local field butcher and packing plant... their business every deer season went practically 24/7, ten people working constantly dressing out and packing up deer flesh... made a fortune. This guy I mentioned, naturally, dressed his own deer, in my woods... and left stuff that the dogs appreciated quite a lot.

[philly]

Blue,

I know when you were applying the hunter orange to your dog's heads, you had the care of your dogs lives in mind. But, I tell you, it is funnier than heck from my perspecitive. Dogs running around with orange hats on.

[revwardoc]

I can't remember the specifics of the story but I'll tell you what I remember. Several years ago a family moved from the city (don't know which) to a small town in Maine. During the deer season, the wife was out walking in her backyard, not more than 50 feet from her house, when she was shot and killed by a hunter. His defense was that she was wearing white mittens and he, thinking it was a white-tail deer, fired. He was found not guilty of negligent homicide. That was total injustice and that fool is a goddamned disgrace to hunters everywhere as well as the jury in that hick burg.

Three of us went deer hunting up in NH one weekend and we saw flashes of white through the brush. Naturally we got a bit excited but we held our fire until we were sure of what we were seeing. It turned out to be some idiot wearing a white parka. We asked him what the hell he thought he was doing and he answered that he wanted to be sure everyone saw him. Now that guy deserved a "dope" slap.

There's an area in MA surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir that was once off-limits to deer hunting until the deer population got out of hand and it was allowed. This incredibly stupid woman dressed herself in a brown jumpsuit and strapped a pair of anlters to her head and went running around the area in an attempt to draw fire in a ridiculous attempt to "stop the slaughter" (as she so liberally put it)! Fortunately, game wardens caught her and escorted her out of the hunting area before she was awarded with the fate she sought. Man, they're out there!

Know of at least two Holliwood types who were killed with blanks.

Worked for a while in an Army Reserve medical clearing Co. in training.Did a good bit of weapons instruction.The Co. had a large detatchment of R.N.'s (all officers).Nice ladies but didn't lesten very well.One afternoon while acting as a range safty NCO,I heard one of the ladies fireing her M-16 full auto when they were supposed to be fireing single shot.Went over to her position and about the time I got there she spun around which pointed the weapon directly at my crotch.She was still yanking on the trigger with the selector on rock-n-roll."This Damn gun won't shoot!"she yelled."Thank God!!"I responded.

Worked on a guy once whose squad had been walking down a paddy dike.The guy behind him was cherry and scared to death.He was carrying his weapon dialed to full-auto.He slipped and on the way down hit the trigger.The guy in front of him took 19 rounds in the ass and legs.All the shooter could think of to say was "Oops!"

[BLUEHAWK]

Cripes guys... just freakin' CRIPES!

Them 30.06 rounds were NOT welcome coming in the westerly direction, and the man just would NOT accomodate the request to at least give us a warning... made me cross with him, balls out that way he did.

I'd put the hunter orange hats on the babies backwards so the bill would hang out over their whithers for the week or so of seasons... figured the hunter would aim for the heart area, and their heads were close enough to that region so the a-hole might notice it was a dog, good ole "Fred" (Pointer) & "Pecos" (Golden); my guys... they put up with it pretty well, kinda looked like RAP doggies. Not sayin' they liked it, but they did not have to suffer friendly fire.

"oops"... cripes! I think the 2nd amendment needs to exclude idiots...