Off-Target: What Hollywood, Journalists, and Shooters Get Wrong About Guns

September 1, Thursday, 7 p.m.

This is an apolitical examination of the mythology surrounding firearms. The term “mythology” is especially appropriate here given that much of what the average person, even the average gun owner, thinks s/he knows about guns is inaccurate. Without getting into a discussion about what we should or shouldn’t do about the issue of guns, Keene State College professor Mark Timney’s lecture and discussion will instead examine how our perceptions of firearms have been distorted by media and folklore. Such distortions—about the mechanics, ease of use, and lethality of guns— have seriously hindered public discussion about the regulation of firearms.

Dr. Mark Timney is an award-winning mass communications practitioner and educator with more than 20 years of professional experience in the mass media. He has worked as a television reporter, producer, and news anchor; healthcare public relations professional; freelance magazine and Internet writer; and public relations and advertising consultant. Mark earned his MS in journalism and PhD in mass communication from Ohio University. He teaches at Keene State College.

This is a Vermont Humanities Council (VHC) program hosted by BMAC. Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the VHC. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the NEH or the VHC.

ADMISSION: Free