Chicks With Guns: Two Good Subjects

by Robert W. Hunnicutt • October 25, 2011 • 16 comments

Photographer Lindsey McCrum has out a new coffee-table book fetchingly entitled Chicks With Guns (Vendome Press, $45). The approach is aesthetic rather than political, as noted in the introduction:

“In our time, few subjects provoke the range of emotions that guns do. Thoughts as varied as policies to prevent violent crime, the romance of the Old West, and even the implications of children playing with toy guns come to mind. No matter what images are evoked, the reality is that in this country, fifteen to twenty million women own guns. The sight of women with ostensibly deadly weapons (they are actually unloaded) challenges our preconceptions about the female or maternal role.”

Those who came up in the 1970s will agree that such a book would have been unthinkable 30 or 40 years ago, which is a good indication of how far the debate has shifted to our side in the interim. There are still those who demonize guns and their owners, but they are distinctly in the minority.

Despite the cheeky title, the “chicks” pictured are not the scantily-clad babes of the “sexy girls with guns” genre, but rather women of various ages from many different walks of life.

In Culture & Politics, Featured • Tagged ,

16 Responses

  1. Rich

    That look of determination and the grip on that gun..
    she can be in my foxhole anytime.
    Go get 'em girl!

    On October 28, 2011 at 10:58 pm • Reply
    • Paul-Arizona

      That is a little girl you are talking about.

      On November 3, 2011 at 5:22 am • Reply
      • Rusty Shackleford

        LawL, yea that is a loli you know . . .

        On December 29, 2011 at 6:14 pm • Reply
  2. Jim

    You need to add a picture of Ann Barnhardt with her pink M4 to go along with the young lady above.

    On November 2, 2011 at 10:08 pm • Reply
  3. j henry

    How can you choose this particular image? she looks 12 in a provocative pose

    On November 2, 2011 at 11:06 pm • Reply
    • Bill

      You think that is provocative?

      On November 11, 2011 at 10:48 pm • Reply
    • Ziggy

      Excuse me, I'm 14 and I was posing.

      On April 27, 2012 at 8:46 pm • Reply
  4. MMiller

    I think it's cute. She is holding that gun as if to say I can't wait to go out with Dad (or Mom) and get my first deer. Got to get me this book.

    On November 2, 2011 at 11:21 pm • Reply
  5. JCitizen

    I had the same look on my face at 12 years old. But my parents tried to ignore my interest in guns, and would only let me shoot pellet guns at most. This is why I became an absolute gun fanatic. I just love to own them, and basically shoot at targets. I've mostly lost interest in hunting. I just like to shoot and own guns of all kinds. I'll take my Browning M2 HBMG anyday; but I think the interest by women and girls is fantastic!! I just love seeing the designer weapons of interest to our female friends! If I could afford it, I would collect every one of them!!!!!

    On November 2, 2011 at 11:34 pm • Reply
  6. xavieleon

    I love women who love guns

    On November 3, 2011 at 12:39 am • Reply
  7. stewartesq

    Great book. It's time is now.

    On November 3, 2011 at 6:10 am • Reply
  8. esquerre

    This great book actually does reflect the reality of the 21st Century! Great Job!

    On November 3, 2011 at 12:04 pm • Reply
  9. Steve

    good idea. It's about time the women were shown as they really are(ie: not always wearing a bikini). Now if they would give men equal time it would be great! what's wrong, equal is equal!

    On November 3, 2011 at 4:41 pm • Reply
  10. dale

    kind of creepy I'm just saying

    On December 3, 2011 at 11:31 pm • Reply
  11. UnclePerv

    Lets get down to it – the child OR the hot MOM we know she has.

    I vote for MOM.

    On January 21, 2012 at 11:35 pm • Reply
  12. Ziggy

    Hahaha that's me! NO JOKE guys! that's me!

    On April 27, 2012 at 8:45 pm • Reply