U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Richard Jewell, the movie, shows Richard as a clear, unapologetic member of the American gun culture. I saw Clint Eastwood’s latest movie, Richard Jewell, on Friday evening, December 27th, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas.
I have been a Clint Eastwood fan for decades. His work as a director has been excellent. I highly recommend the movie.
The plot of what happened to Richard is well known, as the political leaks of the FBI, the legacy media, and the multi-million dollar settlement for the defamation of Richard Jewell, testifies. Jewell’s name was leaked to the media. He was portrayed as the bomber in the legacy media, for months.
It is not as well known that Richard Jewell was a skilled shooter and marksman.
A few things, as revealed in the movie, show Jewell was a dedicated, disciplined, far above average shooter. The most obvious is when his mother casually mentions that while a deputy, Jewell shot a near-perfect score of 98 of 100 during qualification. That is a level of accomplishment that takes discipline and dedication to attain. Jewell’s mother was proud of his accomplishment.
A retired police officer, firearms instructor, and talented shooter told me police fall into the 90-7-3 rule. 90% of police officers see the gun as a necessity of the job. They are not interested in shooting and do the minimum to qualify. 7% are interested, take the training seriously, and do some work on their own to become competent, above-average shooters. 3% are dedicated, disciplined shooters who work at keeping and improving their skills. They read books on the subject, train consistently, and are top-notch shooters. They are gunfighters. The 98% score puts Richard Jewell in the 3%.
My experience is similar to the retired police officer/firearms instructor, colored by the predominance of Border Patrol officers while teaching my concealed carry course at Yuma. Border patrol (at the time) probably had the highest percentage of gunfighters outside the Secret Service.
Richard Jewell is shown at the range, putting rapid fire holes in the bullseye of a target with his AR-15. Jewell had a significant gun collection, considering his limited means. In the movie, his lawyer is not particularly happy when they are laid out on his bed for the FBI to take away. It is clear that guns and shooting were a significant part of Richard Jewell’s life.
The characteristics of Jewell’s personality, as shown in the movie, are congruent with dedicated shooters. Discipline, attention to detail, and consistent application of the rules of conduct are things you find in accomplished shooters.
The movie shows his adulation of law enforcement. While the gun culture tends toward respect for law enforcement, Jewell’s adulation and naivete are beyond average. It is a critical element of the reality and the movie plot.
When his lawyer asks Jewell if he is associated with any extremist or fringe groups, Jewell answers, no. His lawyer asks him if he is associated with the NRA. Richard Jewell answers, “Is the NRA fringe?”
This is not proof that Richard Jewell was an NRA member. It confirms Jewell as a member of the gun culture.
The bigotry Richard Jewell experienced will be recognized by most members of the gun culture. It is the bigotry of the far Left, of urban Progressives, academia, and the legacy Media.
Today, members of the gun culture do not see the Media as superiors. If anything, the gun culture tends to see the opposition as morally bankrupt, bumbling, bureaucratic, hive animals obsessed with status, sex, money, and power.
It is Jewell’s attention to details, his discipline, his self-control, and his honesty, that save him in the end. These characteristics are proudly treasured by members of the gun culture. They seem to be denigrated by those who oppose the gun culture.
Those positive characteristics had to overcome his naivete about the FBI, law enforcement in general, and the legacy Media. It would not have happened without his lawyer.
Richard Jewell prevailed because of the protections of rights built into the Constitution and the rule of law. The First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Fifth amendment and probably the Sixth Amendment were all directly or indirectly in play. The rule of law was critical. In most countries of the world, Jewell would have been successfully railroaded.
Reality is not optional in the gun culture. Ignorance of reality causes injury and death. In Richard Jewell, the movie, reality wins over the fantasy created by the Media. Richard Jewell had to accept the reality of the Media and the FBI against the fantasy image that had been promoted in his mind.
Overcoming the fantasy created by the Media is as important to the gun culture as the reality of ballistics, backstops, and bullets.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.