John Ross, author of Unintended Consequences, passed away of a heart attack on April 29th. I know the news has started to spread amongst the gun culture given the status of his book as a classic.
I bought a hardback copy a number of years ago. Fortunately, I’ve never lent it out as I understand lent copies sometimes fail to be returned and the hardback has become unobtainable unless you are willing to pay an extravagant amount. Softcover copies are reported to be available here.
I’m guessing I’ve read the book at least three times. Beyond the history of the gun culture and the later adventures of Henry Bowman in his war against the ATF, what I loved about the book was the setting in Saint Louis. As I’ve mentioned many times, I have relatives in the area including my older daughter. When Ross wrote about Barnes Hospital, I could relate as my daughter works for its successor as did my brother-in-law and son-in-law. When the Bowmans drove Hwy 40 through Saint Louis, I could picture it.
One thing I do regret is that Donald Trump didn’t take John on the offer to be Director of BATFE and take a $1 per year salary. That would have been fantastic. I can only imagine just how he would have screwed with the Deep State.
I came across his obituary today. It is from a Saint Louis funeral home which is where his memorial service will be held on Friday.
From Lupton Chapel, Inc.:
John Franklin Ross
April 29, 2022
Passed away unexpectedly on Friday, April 29th of natural causes, at his home in Richmond Heights. Mr. Ross is survived by his daughter Lucy Margaret Ross, of Boulder, Colorado, and his two sisters Helen Ross and Lucy Natkiel. John is the son of Walter Ross and Lucianna Gladney Ross, deceased, both of St. Louis, as well as the grandson of Frank Y. Gladney, a prominent attorney and businessman in St. Louis.
John graduated from John Burroughs High School in Ladue in 1974 and from Amherst College in 1979 with a B.A. in English, which he put to great use later in his career as a writer.
He was employed by E.F. Hutton for almost a decade as a broker, and later as an executive in the Clayton regional office. He later left the financial industry to concentrate on being a full-time writer.
John was a world-class expert and instructor on shooting, firearms, and ammunition. Having been introduced to gun culture at a young age by his uncle Graves Gladney, also of St. Louis, John became a nationally recognized prodigy in shooting and designing firearms and ammunition by the time he graduated from high school.
It was a lifelong passion for John, who as an adult became a world-renowned and highly respected expert in many different areas of the global firearms and ammunition industries. His dedication to gun culture and to the history of firearms in America led to his ongoing work as one of the tireless pro-Second Amendment lobbying activists in Jefferson City over a period of more than ten years. His work there was largely responsible for the State of Missouri’s ultimate reversal of its existing legislation and its subsequent adoption of the constitutional carry statute, and relaxed purchasing regulations for Missouri citizens.
Before that, in 1995, John published his first and best-known novel Unintended Consequences, which has sold over 100,000 copies as of 2022. The book is—within the worldwide sociological sub-group known informally as “the Gun Culture”—one of the most popular and influential books in the long history of that demographic, and the book has been published in several languages and sold in over 100 countries.
John was working tirelessly on a sequel to Unintended Consequences when he passed, and the publishers have already committed to examining the unfinished work and doing everything they can to get it published within a year.
John had an appetite for life and pursued his dreams and interests with intense abandon. Whether you found him barreling down the slopes of Aspen, Colorado; in the cockpit of his Pitts Model 12 biplane; setting up his famous over-the-top July 4th firework display; or regaling friends with an eccentric joke at any of his local Soulard haunts, John’s generosity of spirit allowed him to forge deep friendships over the decades of pursuing his passions. He loved sharing what he loved with the people that he loved.
The Memorial Service will be held at THE LUPTON CHAPEL, 7233 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 on Friday, May 6, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family ask that donations be made to either FreedomPrincipleSTL.org (an activist non-profit that works to defend, through events, lobbying and suggested legislation, the political principles John fought so hard for in Missouri all of his life) or ChallengeAspen.org (a non-profit based in Aspen that provides year-round adaptive outdoor experiences, such as skiing or snowboarding, for individuals faced with physical or cognitive disabilities).
I really do hope his unfinished manuscript that is the sequel to Unintended Consequences can be made into a book. According to Michael Bane, it was to be entitled Cold Resolve. I know I’d buy it as soon as it was published.
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