Unintended Consequences (novel)

"For the "Law of unintended consequences", see Unintended consequence"

"Unintended Consequences" is a novel by author John Ross, first published in 1996 by Accurate Press. The lengthy (863 pages) story chronicles the history of the gun culture, gun rights and gun control in the United States from the early 1900s through the late 1990s. Although clearly a work of fiction, the story is heavily laced with accurate historical information, including real-life figures who play minor supporting roles. The novel also features unusually detailed and intricate facts, figures and explanations of many firearms-related topics. The cover has a picture of Lady Justice.

Background

The story hinges upon the enactment and subsequent unintended consequences of several important pieces of U.S. gun control legislation: the National Firearms Act of 1934, the Gun Control Act of 1968, the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986, and the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. The Assault Weapons Importation Ban enacted by Presidential executive order in 1989 also figures prominently in the story.

Its thesis, as discussed in the "Author's Note - A Warning and Disclaimer" in the beginning of the book, pp. 9-10, is that enough bullying by what, rightly or wrongly, is widely perceived as a hostile outside occupation government will inevitably end in revolt if the area involved is large enough and has a separate enough culture and that this revolt will be undefeatable if the rebels use very-low-tech "leaderless resistance."

Major characters

Henry Bowman is the principal character, although the story begins in 1906, long before Bowman's birth on January 10, 1953. The story is told primarily from his perspective when he is in his early forties. Bowman grows up in the St. Louis, Missouri area, where much of the story takes place. He is a trained geologist, a self-taught expert marksman, a firearms, ammunition, and self-defense authority, and a pilot.

Walter Bowman is Henry's father. A skilled pilot and U.S. Navy officer, who trained naval aviators during World War II, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant. He represents the studious, responsible and thoughtful side of young Bowman. The author has stated that the elder Bowman is based on his own father.

Max Collins is Bowman's uncle. He is portrayed as a larger-than life character who is an expert marksman, professional gambler and accomplished ladies' man. He represents the adventurous, spontaneous and aggressive side of Bowman. The author has stated that Collins is based on his own uncle.

Irwin Mann is a survivor of The Holocaust and the Warsaw Ghetto, and a key participant in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. His inclusion in the story permits a study of the use of firearms by average citizens to repel an oppressive government, and connects Nazi gun control measures to U.S. gun control efforts.

Ray Johnson is a New York attorney, originally from Aspen Colorado, who moves to Africa in 1963 and becomes a big-game safari guide. His return to the U.S. in 1994 serves to illustrate how much U.S. gun owners' freedoms have been eroded, due to legislation and an executive order enacted during his absence. At the airport, the customs officials attempt to confiscate an English double rifle worth some $40,000 USD, a Belgian FN FAL semi-automatic rifle, a Smith & Wesson 2" Chief's Special revolver, and his hat which wears a Leopard skin hat band.

Allen Kane is a major machine gun dealer who is Henry's lifelong friend. A major shift in the novel's plot occurs when Henry finds corrupt BATF agents framing Allen. Allen aides and accompanies Henry in much of the novel.

Cindy Caswell is a victim of childhood abuse and organized crime who becomes important in the freedom struggle as it develops. The author has been criticized for creating an "adolescent fantasy" with this character. Ten years after writing the novel, Ross met Tammy Chapman, whose life and personality traits bore eerie resemblances to the fictional Cindy Caswell. Ross and Chapman now live together in St. Louis. [ [http://www.john-ross.net/cindy.php Author's website] ]

Plot summary

The novel's protagonist, Henry Bowman, shows an early proficiency with firearms, practicing whenever he can find the time. Encouraged by his father, he gathers an impressive firearms collection and gains extensive experience in piloting small aircraft. During college, Bowman is robbed, beaten, and sexually assaulted by a rural gang. The incident has a profound effect on his life and causes him to become an alcoholic for a period.

While at a gun show in his home of St. Louis, Missiouri, with friend Allen Kane, Bowman publicly embarrasses an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), Wilson Blair. One of Blair's men was trying to trick and entrap a fellow firearms dealer. Blair takes the offense personally, and begins to plan revenge. Several years later, Blair and subordinate agents of the BATF plan to frame Henry and his friends as terrorists, smugglers, and counterfeiters. They plan to plant "evidence" when the men are away on vacation. Unbeknownst to Blair, Bowman delays his departure and is on a friends' property when the agents arrive. Bowman assumes the men are burglars and engages in a gun battle with them, killing all but Blair before he discovers the truth.

Bowman realizes that his life has been irrevocably changed. He makes Blair record a video taped confession of his illegal actions, then kills Blair and disposes of all forensic evidence of the agents' presence. Afterwards, he hunts down and kills Blair's remaining subordinates. Bowman and his closest friends begin to systematically kill BATF agents around the nation, whom Bowman views as supporting the infringement of citizen's constitutional rights, and abusing government powers. Simultaneously Bowman releases the video tape of Blair to CNN, which claims that Blair and his companions have had a change of heart, realize what they are doing is wrong, and are now dedicated to killing other BATF agents. Amidst the national search for Blair and company, Bowman continues to rack up the body count.

Fictionalized accounts of historical events

The story contains several partially-fictionalized accounts of real-life historical events. The author inserts fictional characters, dialog and the unspoken thoughts of real and fictional characters into these events. Although the additions seem plausible for the most part, they are clearly fictional. These events are not merely used as settings or backdrops for the action in the novel; instead, detailed treatments of some of these events occupy dozens of pages. In particular, the following events are featured prominently:

* Bonus Army March on Washington, DC (1932)
* Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943)
* Ken Ballew raid (1971)
* MOVE raid in Philadelphia (1985)
* FBI shootout in Miami (1986)
* John Lawmaster raid in Tulsa (BATF) (1991)
* Ruby Ridge incident in Idaho (1992)
* Branch Davidian raid near Waco, Texas (1993)
* Oklahoma City bombing (1995)

Publication and reception

The book is not available in paperback form as of 2006, nearly 11 years after the first printing. Rising as high as #7 hardcover fiction on Amazon.com, the hardcover edition continues to sell well, with more than 60,000 copies sold. [ [http://john-ross.net/faq.php John Ross.net FAQ] ] His web site states that he is working on a sequel originally scheduled for publication in 2006, and that it will be shorter than "Unintended Consequences". However, no sequel has appeared as of August 2008. [ [http://john-ross.net/faq.php Author's FAQ] ]

Anecdotal information seems to indicate that the book still sells well at gun shows,Fact|date=April 2008 with dealers occasionally selling out their inventories.Fact|date=April 2008 As of December 2005, online bookstore Amazon.com reported that the title ranks at #5,386 in overall book sales. By comparison, other formerly best-selling books also released in 1996 sell at much lower rates currently, even in mass-market paperback form: "Out of Sight" (Elmore Leonard), #125,567, "Absolute Power" (David Baldacci), #17,244, and "The Green Mile" (Stephen King), #17,918. [Source: Amazon.com, 12/26/05.] As at April 2008 it ranked #13,897. [cite web |url=http://www.amazon.com/Unintended-Consequences-John-Ross/dp/1888118040/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209293910&sr=1-1 |title=Unintended Consequences (Hardcover) |accessdate=2008-04-27 |format= |work=Amazon.com ]

Timothy McVeigh read the novel while awaiting his trial for the Oklahoma City bombing. He loved the book, and noted that if it had come out a few years earlier, he would have given serious consideration to using sniper attacks in a war of attrition against the government instead of bombing a federal building: [cite book|title=American Terrorist|pages=304|author=Michel, Lou and Herbeck, Dan]

ISBN

* ISBN 1-888118-04-0 (hardcover, 1996)

References

Sources

* [http://john-ross.net Author's web site]
* [http://www.rationaldefense.com/articles/JR_Interview.html Interview with author]
* [http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/john_ross.htm Another Interview with the author]
* [http://www.westword.com/Issues/1996-11-21/news/news_full.html Article on lawsuit from Clayton Nelson with the author John Ross]

External links

* [http://john-ross.net/faq.php Author's FAQ on the book]
* [http://www.accuratepress.net/uc.html Publisher's page on the book]