The Long & the Short of Firearms is a new video looks at gun history through an Australian eye.
Available on DVD, it provides a uniquely Australian perspective on the history of guns, shooting and the culture that surrounds them.
It has been produced by Malcolm Drinkwater, a history buff who runs the historic History Hill gold mining museum in Hill End, NSW. He also likes guns.
His presentation is not Hollywood slick, but is instead a refreshingly straight, honest and personal video full of information and anecdotes.
The basis of the video is simple. It begins with a very short history of the development and evolution of guns before expanding into other topics including the Rum Corps, bushrangers, the Battle of Beersheba, .22 single-shots, the .303, shooting black-powder rifles and lots more interesting stuff.
But what stamps this production as unique is the living history it records — the personal experiences and stories of a number of people who grew up in the post-WWII period of freer, widespread access to firearms.
Sporting Shooter’s former technical editor, the late Nick Harvey, is one of the shooters who features in the video. In addition, after the credits roll, there is a near 10-minute tribute to him based on an interview in which he discusses his life. Malcolm was a mate of Nick’s for decades so Nick is quite relaxed and open. There are great anecdotes, many relating to old times in the Aussie country as muchas to guns.
Anyone who’s been around the Mudgee and Hill End shooting scene will recognise many of the faces in the video. They’re mostly contemporaries of Malcolm, but this local focus faithfully reflects the experience of shooters all around Australia, and what they say is at once familiar and yet illuminating.
It all points to how much better off we were before “Flak Jacket Johnnie” Howard imposed his gun laws on us and, perhaps worst of all, utterly demonised an entire cohort of decent Australians.
Through its hour and 49 minutes, The Long & the Short of Firearms is a good record of how shooting should still be in this country. The reality of our current situation is put in the spotlight by the grassroots views of so many older shooters who grew up before the 1996 laws.
It’s easy to watch, insightful and will appeal to anyone who’s interested in the history of Australian gun culture.
The Long & the Short of Firearms is available in DVD format for $24.95 directly from the History Hill website.
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