Not so long ago, it was the most common thing in the world for a young child to spend the day playing in the countryside with a .22 rifle or a shotgun.  Accidents were rare, school attacks were unheard-of, and safe, accurate shooting was a common skill.  Today, the American shooting culture has learned mountains more about the proper way to use a gun in self-defense, but that shooting culture is smaller, and many people grow up never encountering guns except in the hands of criminals, and never learning the basics of how to live alongside guns in the world and use them properly.  Worse, they grow up fearful—unnecessarily so—of guns, and so deny themselves both the joys and the benefits of being a gun owner, all the while putting themselves at greater risk of being victimized and of making a costly mistake if they are ever forced to use or interact with a gun.  And, of course, those who never learn cannot teach their children.

Coming soon: American Shooter, the comprehensive beginner’s guide to firearms and shooting in the American tradition.  From William Collier, a 25-year veteran of shooting sports with experience ranging from migratory bird hunting to tactical carbine and pistol, this book represents a complete foundation in gun ownership and handling, guiding the reader step by step through the journey of an American shooter, as if he or she had grown up with guns, learning the foundations of safe and effective gun handling from an early age.  Even if you have never laid eyes on a firearm before, by following this book carefully you will learn everything you need to know to buy a first gun and learn to shoot it safely and accurately, to get started as a hunter or competition shooter, or to progress from those first shots to effective and safe practice of the fundamentals of defensive shooting.  Along the way, you will see how all of these shooting disciplines overlap and what they have in common, how each improves the others, how each has its place, and the common principles behind all safe and effective gun-handling.  Finally, American Shooter will give you the ability to spread the shooting sports and the culture of safe and effective gun handling to your family, friends, and community, in the spirit of the American Shooter, modern and up to date but rooted in centuries’-old American tradition—all as if you had grown up with these skills.

Status:  Manuscript complete.  Illustrations in progress.  Seeking representation.