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Gun Mythology In The West

Michael Martelli / flickr

In 1982, when Bruce Holbert was a young man, he accidentally shot and killed a friend. Today on River to River, University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate, Bruce Holbert will recount that accidental shooting and how he coped afterward. Holbert’s new novel Lonesome Animals is a western detective story in the vein of True Grit, and he connects it to America's fascination with the gun myth.

But first, Lt. Lynn Aswegan, of the Johnston Police Department, joins the conversation to tell the story of an 8-yr-old Iowa boy who brought a handgun to school. He also shares some gun safety tips.

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River