"The Shotgunners"

“The Shotgunners”
By John Smith

 

1.

            Stevie Carson sat on the floor in his trailer and glared angrily at the television screen. President Joyce Richards, the first female president, was holding a press conference regarding gun control.

            “Due to the tragic shooting at the University of Virginia that left 20 people dead and 30 wounded, I am forced to have to announce the gun regulation laws.” President Richards said. “Starting next week, the last week of December in 2025, a special forces group called the Shotgunners will go throughout the United States and confiscate all types of fire arms. Following January 1^st, 2026, if you are caught with any type of firearm, you will be arrested and will be facing life in prison. If you do not peacefully hand over your guns, then the Shotgunners will be allowed to use force against you.” President Richards continued. Steve just sat there on the floor with his arms folded over his chest and glared at the TV with anger as he grinded his teeth. “The United States currently has the highest crime rate in the world as we no it. The average school/public shootings per year is an unprecedented 30 per year. We live in dark times ladies and gentlemen. I feel that it is time for us to make an example of it. The United States of America is now under a zero tolerance policy when it comes to guns.” President Richards concluded.

            “What about the second amendment?” A voice from off screen shouted at the president. President Richards looked down at the podium and then back into the crowd at attendance.

            “I realize that this is not going to be the most popular decision. Believe me I get it! But what we all have to realize is that it is what’s best for this nation. Now I get that not everybody is going to do something crazy with these weapons, but, as the old saying goes, it takes one drop of kerosene to spoil the soup. If firearms are the accelerator in this, than they don’t need to be available to just anybody.” She continued. Steve could hear the rumble of the crowd’s whispers but couldn’t make out what anybody was saying. The whispers grew launder until it was eventually a loud roar among the audience. Steve sat up and leaned forward to get a closer look. The camera for a moment showed the crowd. He still couldn’t make out what anybody was saying but it looked as if the crowd was arguing with one another.

            The camera zoomed back out and put its focus back on the President. President Richards just stared into the crowd with disbelief and then she leaned in towards the microphone that was mounted on her podium to speak.

            “Excuse me! Can I have your attention to say one more thing please?” President Richards asked but the crowd ignored. The next thing that Steve knew was that there was a loud shotgun fired and President Richards fell off the stage and down onto the floor in front of it.

            “Hell no! We won’t go!” Steve heard somebody from the crowd yell just before the television screen went blank and the press conference went off the air.

 

2.

            The next morning, Steve walked into the living room of his trailer with a plain white towel hanging from around his neck and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth and white toothpaste covering his lips. Steve was wearing a pair of blue jeans and plain white T-Shirt that he was sleeping in the night before. Steve picked up the remote to the TV that was sitting on side table next to his Lay-Z boy recliner and turned on the television.

            It was the local 9 o’clock news. Wendy Stockweather, the local anchor, was shown sitting at the desk with the headline reading: BREAKING: PRESIDENT RICHARDS SLAIN IN VIRGINIA covering the bottom of the screen in red letters.

            “It is very difficult to announce…but…following the press conference in Richmond, Virginia concerning the gun regulation rumors, President Richards has been assassinated.” Wendy said with a sorrow voice. “Despite the assassination however, the Shotgunners plan to move on with the initial plans to confiscate all firearms in the United States starting here in Richmond, Virginia today. If you own guns, please hand them over to the Shotgunner peacefully. If you fail to do so, you will have to face the consequences.” Wendy concluded. Steve decided that he had heard enough and he reached back over to grab the remote and turned off the television.

            Steve removed the toothbrush from his mouth and spit out the tooth past in a red Solo cup that sat beside his recliner. He wiped his mouth with the towel that was hanging from his neck and then looked back at the blank television screen.

            “I’ll be damned if I’m just going to hand over my guns without some type of fight. They must be shitting themselves!” Steve said as he stood from his recliner and walked out of the living room, through the kitchen, to his bedroom.

 

3.

            Steve walked into the bedroom and over to the closet and opened. He pushed the shirts that were hanging inside there to the side revealing a large gray gun cabinet. Steve reached into his right front pants pocket and pulled out a key ring with several keys on it and placed one of them into the keyhole of the gun locker. The door swung open revealing about ten various types of shotguns and about five 22 caliber rifles.

            “I’ve been preparing for this day for a long time!” Steve said to himself as he got down on his knees and began to rifle through the bottom of the gun locker. “I knew it would come to this! I always have! But I’ll be damned if I just roll over without a fight! They’re shitting themselves it they think that I’m not going to fight back to protect my second amendment rights!” Steve said to himself again as he pulled out a cardboard shoebox and placed it down on the floor beside of him. He also grabbed his favorite 12 gage shot gun, a custom one that hat his initials engraved into the wood that was given to him by his father.

            Steve shut the gun locker back and hid it back behind the close before he closed the closet doors back. He bent down to pick up the shoebox and placed it under his right arm. Steve shoved the keys back into his pocket, picked the shotgun off of the floor and walked back through the kitchen and to the living room of his trailer.

            Steve sat down in his Lay-Z Boy recliner. He placed the shoebox on the table beside of him and then picked up a bottle of Budweiser and took a sip of it. He placed the beer back on the table and laid the shotgun along his lap.

            “And now…we wait!” He said with a strange grin on his face as he stared at the blank television screen.

 

4.

            As Steve sat there in his recliner staring out the window above his TV, he could hear the gun shots and screams from the other people living in the trailer park as the Shotgunners forced their way through taking the guns obviously with force.

            Steve closed his eyes and waited for a moment until he finally heard a knock at the door. He opened his eyes and looked over to the door. He could see some of the man whom was standing there through the blurred out window on the door but couldn’t make out a face. Steve sat there in silence for a moment until the man knocked on the door again.

            “Mr. Carson, we know that you are in there! I suggest that you come out right now and make our job a lot easier!” The man shouted. Steve remained quiet as he slowly reached over to the shoebox on the table and grabbed it. He picked up the shotgun, cocked it, and then rest the stock on the arm of the chair as he placed the shoe pox on his lap. “Mr. Carson, this is your final warning! Open the damn door or we’ll open it for you!” The man shouted.

            “You want them? Come get them?” Steve shouted as he opened the shoebox revealing several sticks of dynamite with a red electronic button on a black devise beside them.

            “Alright! Have it your way!” The Shotgunner said as he gently tapped his nightstick on the glass of the window before he busted the front door on the trailer down. The men stepped inside the trailer and looked over at Steve sitting in his recliner. Steve grabbed the black remote with the red button on it and glared at the men.

            “You want my guns? You have to pry them from my cold dead fingers!” Steve said as he pressed the red button.

            “No!” One of the Shotgunners shouted as the trailer was filled with the flames from the fiery explosion.

Copyright 2014 by John Smith
Courtesy of The Enchanted Press
A division of TTP Entertainment

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Author's Note

This is in no way meant to tell where I stand on the whole gun control issue. This is just an idea I had in my mind here recently. I hope you all like it!

Reviews

[Sami Khalil]

Amazing take on the gun issue circulating this country. The constitution says it is a right and not a privilege I think and I'm afraid rights can be given and taken away except given by God and not governments...Excellent...:)..............................

[Jack Buckner]

Thank you Sami!

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome...My pleasure...:)...............

[Sami Khalil]

I read this again. Bravo, sir....:)......

[Nia Hope]

I may have a fear of guns but that was actually really good. It was well written and the plot was rather unique (although this story just confirms my firearm-phobia) excellent job

[Jack Buckner]

Thank you Ankara.