Customer Reviews

Truth About Handguns: Exploding The Myths, Hype, And Misinformation

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...that's what Duane Thomas does in THE TRUTH ABOUT HANDGUNS, he gets it right. This is a great little book that addresses many of the predjuices and misconceptions that gun owner's and gun "experts" have about handguns. Duane is obviously someone who has developed his credentials and gathered his information from actually working with guns as opposed to those whose only claim to expertise is reading about guns and watching lots of action movies (don't get me started on the inaccuracies of firearms in action movies). One of the things I appreciate most about the book is the clear separation Duane draws between fact and his opinion. When it's fact he tells you so and when something is his opinion he's fair enough to make that clear also. His writing style is casual and engaging - just the way it should be for a book like this. By the time I was finished I had not only learned something about handguns but I also felt I'd gotten to know Duane, an unexpected bonus.

A very engaging book. I read it in one sitting and if I were a more demonstrative person, I would have been pounding the arm of my recliner in agreement with Mr. Thomas' take on gun faddism, stopping power arguments and the nuts and bolts of handgun selection.
As an active gunwriter, I found that many of his experiences, observations, and prejudices mirror my own. In 1997, he was a bit ahead of the times. Since then, the double action pistols he favors have proliferated and become generally accepted by officialdom and the shooting public. The number of people owning and routinely carrying handguns has multiplied many times over and there is a strong trend toward pocketable,double action only pistols. Jacketed truncated cone bullets-deplored by Mr. Thomas, have largely given way to designs with feed-friendly rounded ogives . Nevertheless, the same myths, hype and misinformation still hold force and have become even more rude and contentious with the explosion of internet gunchat forums.
The Truth About Handguns remains timely, topical and very entertaining. It provides intellectual body armor for those comtemplating acquisition of a defensive handgun or an excursion into the chaotic world of internet chatrooms.

Unfortunately this is a hard book to find, I got my used copy from England! It was well worth the wait, because the book is great and the author with his unique and entertaining style does cover all the aspects of modern handguns: capacity, caliber, penetration, stopping power, design, pistoleros, even a trivia quiz. No myths, dogmas, misunderstandings, "commonsense" remain unshaken. Since this is a hunting country around here, I did not have many opportunities to learn about handguns, but this book (just as one of the reviewers mentions this in a less than complimentary way) almost feels like the author is sitting across from you at a table, well, sipping on some drinks. It sure feels better this way than the feeling of looking up to some lecturing stand.

Mr. Thomas' book would make a great introduction for someone interested in buying a first handgun. If he had only written it about ten years earlier, I could have saved quite a bit of money and avoided some purchasing mistakes. In addition, his chapter on Alvin York's courageous actions during World War One are a must read.

This book is a 300lb counter-balance to gun magazine fluff. Mr. Thomas does a nice, rather entertaining job of bursting our collective bubble on the effectiveness of handgun cartridges. He lets us know that many different types of handguns may indeed be suitable for self-defense though are favorites certainly aren't perfect. And, that handguns just aren't very effective at stopping a determined attacker. I wish more people in the gun community had the more realistic perspective offered by this book. -- An intelligent and entertaining read.

If you are looking for another reality check, consider Guns Save Lives by Roger Waters.

This books is totally frank and to the point, which is refreshing. You'll learn a few things you won't learn in gun magazines. Being somewhat well read on the subject, though, I found only about 2/3's of the book informative. If you are totally new to handguns, this book is a great investment. It will give you some inside dope of how to interpret a lot of hype in the gun business, and there's a lot of it, just like in any other industry.

Thanks, Duane, for the pointers. I've already used some of them just one day after reading your book.

Disappointing, that's how I'd describe this book. Mr. Thomas claims in the title of his book that he will dispell the myths, hype, and misinformation concerning handguns. I must admit, I was taken in by the tempting title. Too bad there is little substance between the covers to backup such a lofty statement. Mr. Thomas addresses complex and controversal topics; such as the significance of the 1911 for today's shooter and bullet ballistics, but with highly subjective statements, one or two paragraphs long, sometimes without even supporting facts. Mr. Thomas, as an experienced writer, you should know better. I honestly feel, after reading this book, that one evening, after having one too many beers, Mr. Thomas decided to sitdown behind his computer and share his wisdom with the world. Although I must admit that I did learn a few things from him, I'm sure in his next book he'll do much better. Mr. Thomas, please send me a free copy of your next book. I certainly didn't get my monies worth with this one.