John Ross (author)
Encyclopedia
John Franklin Ross is the author of the underground bestselling novel Unintended Consequences, author of a regular column on the Internet, and was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in 1998 in Missouri's 2nd congressional district (he received 28.3 percent of the vote, losing to James M. Talent). He is also the grandson of Charles Ross
, who was the Sixth White House Press Secretary
, serving under President Harry Truman.
that, the author believes, has occurred since the passage of the National Firearms Act
of 1934. This Act made it a federal offense to possess a machine gun
, short-barreled rifle
, short-barreled shotgun
, or silencer
without first paying a $200 fee to the United States Treasury.
The cover of the book shows a woman dressed as Lady Justice
being menaced by a heavily armed agent of the ATF
; it contains several scenes of graphic sex and violence. The book has been repeatedly confiscated in Canada
by customs officials. The publisher no longer ships copies of the book to Canada as a result. http://www.john-ross.net/faq.php
Its thesis, as discussed in the Author's Note - A Warning and Disclaimer, is that hostile bullying by a government will cause a revolt, and the revolt will be successful if the area involved is large enough, the area has a sufficiently distinct culture, and the rebels use low-tech leaderless resistance.
Lacking any advertising or promotion in the mainstream book industry, the novel has remained a top seller on Amazon.com
since it came out in 1996. Its sales largely have been either at gun show
s or through online book retailers such as Amazon.com. It has sold briskly at gun shows, but is generally not sold at traditional bookstores. (As of June 2009, the price for a new copy hovers around $120 and even used ones are priced at over $50 on auction sites because the publisher is almost sold out.) http://www.john-ross.net/faq.php
In 2000, Ross had his lawyer write a letter to the ATF claiming that their agents harassed him for writing his book, threatened vendors for selling his book and approached his "amicably separated" wife to elicit information against him. In October 2000, he had a stroke and was incapacitated for a few weeks. He has made a complete recovery and now lives in St. Louis
, Missouri
, where he writes, does investment consulting, schedules fee-based speaking engagements, and runs night classes for Concealed Weapons licensing. http://www.john-ross.net/faq.php
, has done extensive development work with large bore revolvers and rifles. He has concentrated most of his efforts on his favorite, the .500 S&W Magnum, the world's most powerful production repeating handgun. In 2007 Ross designed a version of the S&W .500 Magnum revolver so as to make it more suitable to his needs http://john-ross.net/store.php Smith & Wesson produced 500 of these special Ross edition guns. It is a pound lighter than the standard version and produces even more power due to tighter barrel/cylinder tolerances. It produces more power per pound of gun weight than any repeating handgun ever made.http://john-ross.net/pdfs/maghist.pdf
in 2003 (and to override the governor's subsequent veto of it), despite not personally needing the law, as he is an auxiliary police officer and firearms instructor for many Missouri departments.http://web.archive.org/web/20070501234017/www.john-ross.net/mosc.htm
John Ross was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in 1998 in Missouri's 2nd congressional district, billing himself as a "Pre-Roosevelt Democrat," which, as he defined it, was "a Democrat without the Socialism." He lost to Republican incumbent James Talent. http://www.opensecrets.org/1998elect/dist_contrib/98MO02contrib.htm
In 2000, Ross appeared under his own name in the independent film Defiance, where he played the part of a gun dealer in a small western town in 1876.
Ross writes a semi-regular Internet column called "Ross In Range," where he discusses topics that interest him. A recurring theme is understanding and coping with women. His column and the continued success of his book have earned him cult status with fans around the world.http://web.archive.org/web/20070205065719/http://www.john-ross.net/mstrike.htm
Charles Griffith Ross
Charles Griffith Ross was a White House Press Secretary between 1945 and 1950 for Harry S. Truman.-Early life:Ross graduated with Truman and Truman's eventual wife Bess Truman in Independence, Missouri from Independence High School Class of 1901...
, who was the Sixth White House Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary
The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
, serving under President Harry Truman.
Unintended Consequences
Unintended Consequences is a controversial novel that mixes real events with fiction. These events portray a continuing oppression of the American gun cultureGun culture
The gun culture is a culture shared by people in the gun politics debate, generally those who advocate preserving gun rights and who are generally against more gun control...
that, the author believes, has occurred since the passage of the National Firearms Act
National Firearms Act
The National Firearms Act , 73rd Congress, Sess. 2, ch. 757, , enacted on June 26, 1934, currently codified as amended as , is an Act of Congress that, in general, imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms and mandates the registration of those firearms. The...
of 1934. This Act made it a federal offense to possess a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
, short-barreled rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, short-barreled shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, or silencer
Suppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
without first paying a $200 fee to the United States Treasury.
The cover of the book shows a woman dressed as Lady Justice
Lady Justice
Lady Justice |Dike]]) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.-Depiction:The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later...
being menaced by a heavily armed agent of the ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
; it contains several scenes of graphic sex and violence. The book has been repeatedly confiscated in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
by customs officials. The publisher no longer ships copies of the book to Canada as a result. http://www.john-ross.net/faq.php
Its thesis, as discussed in the Author's Note - A Warning and Disclaimer, is that hostile bullying by a government will cause a revolt, and the revolt will be successful if the area involved is large enough, the area has a sufficiently distinct culture, and the rebels use low-tech leaderless resistance.
Lacking any advertising or promotion in the mainstream book industry, the novel has remained a top seller on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
since it came out in 1996. Its sales largely have been either at gun show
Gun show
A gun show is a temporary exhibition or gathering in the United States where firearms, firearm accessories, ammunition, literature, knives, jerky, militaria, and miscellaneous collectibles are displayed, bought, sold, traded, and discussed. Gun shows also often include exhibitions related to...
s or through online book retailers such as Amazon.com. It has sold briskly at gun shows, but is generally not sold at traditional bookstores. (As of June 2009, the price for a new copy hovers around $120 and even used ones are priced at over $50 on auction sites because the publisher is almost sold out.) http://www.john-ross.net/faq.php
In 2000, Ross had his lawyer write a letter to the ATF claiming that their agents harassed him for writing his book, threatened vendors for selling his book and approached his "amicably separated" wife to elicit information against him. In October 2000, he had a stroke and was incapacitated for a few weeks. He has made a complete recovery and now lives in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, where he writes, does investment consulting, schedules fee-based speaking engagements, and runs night classes for Concealed Weapons licensing. http://www.john-ross.net/faq.php
.500 S&W Magnum Special Edition
Ross, in the tradition of Elmer KeithElmer Keith
Elmer Keith was an Idaho rancher, firearms enthusiast, and author. Keith was instrumental in the development of the first magnum revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum, as well as the later .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges.-Personality and life:Keith's trademarks were his cigars, his ten-gallon...
, has done extensive development work with large bore revolvers and rifles. He has concentrated most of his efforts on his favorite, the .500 S&W Magnum, the world's most powerful production repeating handgun. In 2007 Ross designed a version of the S&W .500 Magnum revolver so as to make it more suitable to his needs http://john-ross.net/store.php Smith & Wesson produced 500 of these special Ross edition guns. It is a pound lighter than the standard version and produces even more power due to tighter barrel/cylinder tolerances. It produces more power per pound of gun weight than any repeating handgun ever made.http://john-ross.net/pdfs/maghist.pdf
Other activities
Ross spent a dozen years and tens of thousands of dollars of his own money to get a Concealed Carry law passed in Missouri1999 Proposition B in Missouri
Proposition B in Missouri was a failed 1999 ballot measure that would have required local police authorities to issue concealed weapons permits to eligible citizens...
in 2003 (and to override the governor's subsequent veto of it), despite not personally needing the law, as he is an auxiliary police officer and firearms instructor for many Missouri departments.http://web.archive.org/web/20070501234017/www.john-ross.net/mosc.htm
John Ross was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in 1998 in Missouri's 2nd congressional district, billing himself as a "Pre-Roosevelt Democrat," which, as he defined it, was "a Democrat without the Socialism." He lost to Republican incumbent James Talent. http://www.opensecrets.org/1998elect/dist_contrib/98MO02contrib.htm
In 2000, Ross appeared under his own name in the independent film Defiance, where he played the part of a gun dealer in a small western town in 1876.
Ross writes a semi-regular Internet column called "Ross In Range," where he discusses topics that interest him. A recurring theme is understanding and coping with women. His column and the continued success of his book have earned him cult status with fans around the world.http://web.archive.org/web/20070205065719/http://www.john-ross.net/mstrike.htm