AGT Monthly Meeting for January 2025

The Authors Guild of Tennessee held its monthly meeting on Thursday, January 2, 2025, at Faith Lutheran Church in Farragut, from 10:30 to noon.

The following members were present:

Linda Allred, Bill Barbour, Gene Berryhill, Stan Borgia, Gary Butler, Bobbi Chapman, Deana Charcalla, Gayle Curtin, Laura Derr, John Forcum, Leoma Gilley, Wes Hibbert, Jim Johnson, Wade Johnson, Ernie Lancaster, Sean Mitchell, Jerry Morton, Kathy Parr, Cheryl Peyton, Chuck Roseberry, Art Stewart, Becky Tucker, Jeri Weems, Victoria Winifred.

Guests:  Allie Brown and Elaine Jungk

Welcome – Cheryl welcomed visitors.  Membership chair Kathy Parr introduced our newest member, Jim Johnston, a friend of Art Stewarts. Jim wrote a book of poetry and essays on his complicated feelings emigrating from Ireland to the United States. He also has his own publishing company. We welcome Jim.

December Minutes:  Approved online.

Treasurer’s Report for December– Bill

Beginning Balance                $3402.83

Ending Balance                    $3689.69

Membership Dues               $440.00

Donations                              $20.00

Book Sales                              $0.00

 

Payments

Author Payments                    $38.60

Advertising & Promotion      $43.84

Meals & Entertainment          $43.68

Trade Show Booth Fees          $32.21

Pending Transactions

Author Payments                     $22.91

 

Reports by members and Committee Chairs:

1. Festival Facts – Bobbi, Nancy P. The 11 people on this committee will receive assignments this week. There will likely be 100 festivals during the year for you to choose from. Many of these will be new.
2. Memory with Jimmy Carter — Bobbi

Bobbi’s first book was about fly fishing. The money from the book went to the Federation of Fly Fishing Center, and was dedicated by Jimmy Carter.

3. Library – Laura. There is great activity as people are signing out books and bringing them back. Please write a review before you bring them back. At the end of the meeting, take your books that were not checked out.
4. Retail – Cheryl. We are revamping our program to place books where they will more likely sell. In Tellico Village, people want to read books by their neighbors, so all the books at the Preferred Pharmacy will be by the authors who live in the Village. Any Christian books should be given to Leoma for Cedar Springs Christian Store.

Program 

AGT member Ernie Lancaster spoke on the topic “Firearms 101 for Fiction writers (and non-fiction writers).”

Ernie was on the Memphis Police Force for 33 years, including 26 years on their SWAT Team. He completed the FBI’s two-week Firearms Instructor School, as well as John Shaw’s school of self-defense shooting. In his talk, Ernie will explain what firearms can and cannot do, contrary to the ways guns are often represented by Hollywood.

Important points:

Always treat every weapon as if it were loaded.

Cartridges are usually made of brass or brass alloy. Empty shell casings are called brass.

Gunpowder doesn’t explode but burns from solid to gas very rapidly. The firing pin strikes the primer, gunpowder expands to create a gas that forces the bullet out of the gun. Rifling are spirals cut into the barrel that make the bullet spin and be more accurate and go further. These can be matched from the bullet to the gun used.

FBI advises law enforcement that handguns are defensive weapons only to be used in an unexpected emergency. Long guns (such as rifles) are used when expecting violence.

Revolvers vs Semi-automatic A revolver has a cylinder that holds cartridges. The Semi has a magazine or clip, usually 7-8 rounds. Revolvers are simpler and more reliable. The shell casings stay in the revolver but not with the automatic. More can go wrong with an automatic.

Many police can’t hit the side of a barn. Training is expensive as is the equipment.

Being hit by a bullet is equivalent to being hit by a baseball. For every action, there is an opposite reaction, so there is recoil to factor in.

Wet primers don’t spark. Water, grease and oil also affect it as well as the age of the ammunition.

Silencers are easy to make, but they can reduce the velocity of the bullet and can also fly along with it. Silencers won’t work on a revolver. If a gun shoots faster than the speed of sound, then there is a bang. They used to be illegal, but in the last 5-10 years legislation has changed to allow them.

Sniper rifles must be zeroed to line up the scope. One can’t take a scope off and adjust it without zeroing it. The bullet goes in a parabolic curve, and that changes with various distances.

A bullet travels slower in cold weather. 50 yards doesn’t matter, but the further away, the powder and gun are colder.

Police aim for immediate incapacitation by hitting the central nervous system. Imagine a headband around the eyes, and aim for that area. The result is for the victim to corkscrew at the knees and collapse.

If you shoot through the heart, the victim has 15 seconds of oxygen to fight you.

If shot in the spinal cord, the victim is paralyzed from the break downward.

There is a high risk of infection if shot in the stomach. There are many dangerous chemicals released in a shooting, so it is important to wash hands and face immediately after shooting a gun.

A .22 rifle won’t kill as quickly as the bullets are small, round, and don’t do as much damage. More rounds need to be fired, depending on where it hits.

There are no bulletproof vests. The Kevlar material just slows the bullet down but leaves a huge bruise.

Bullets do NOT ricochet off water. If shooting straight into water, the bullet will penetrate to 3 feet. It is very unpredictable.

The minimum barrel length for a shotgun is 14”. Sawed-off shotguns are illegal.

Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 12:20. Next meeting will be on February 6, 2025, at Faith Lutheran Church.

Respectfully submitted,

Leoma Gilley, Secretary