Timothy J. Mullin

Hello. My name is Timothy J. Mullin, and the editors at Paladin Press have asked me to tell you a little more about myself than would typically appear on a book jacket to help introduce my new book, The Fighting Submachine Gun, Machine Pistol, and Shotgun: A Hands-On Evaluation. This book is the third volume in my series based on the extensive research and field-testing of military weapons from 1870 to the present. The series, which also includes 100 Greatest Combat Pistols (no longer in print) and Testing the War Weapons, presents information gleaned from my hands-on research in a practical way that is relevant to the infantryman. I have also approached Paladin Press with the idea for a fourth volume on handguns, rifles, machine guns, and SMGs, as well as shotguns that have been used in the late 19th and 20th centuries by soldiers around the world, that were not covered in previous volumes. My goal is to test all of the most important weapons so that you, the reader, will know how they really perform under combat conditions. Writing and researching this series has been quite interesting and informative to me personally as well. In spite of the challenges I have faced in obtaining the weapons to test, I have been amply rewarded by the numerous new friendships forged in the process.

Prior to this series, I wrote Training the Gunfighter for Paladin. This book detailed the proper equipment and training for a small- to medium-sized police agency. Although this book is no longer in print, I am proud to say that the late Elmer Keith wrote a review of it and conveyed to me personally that he viewed it as one of the 10 best books he had ever read. In addition, I wrote American Beauty, a book about my favorite pistol, the Colt Pre-War National Match, for Canadian publisher Collector Grade Publications. It is aptly titled, for it is a beautiful book, if I say so myself.

I believe it is very important for Americans to appreciate the history and philosophy of the "gun culture." As a member of this group, I believe we represent the best of society. We are literate people with a deep appreciation of history who believe strongly that it is critical that society remain free and unfettered by government. We expect citizens to be self-reliant and dependable. Those of us who are part of the gun culture should be proud and never allow anyone to minimize the Second Amendment’s importance to society.

When I am not researching various gun-related writing projects, I practice law in St. Louis, where I and the three other lawyers who work for me handle the vast majority of consumer bankruptcy matters in the Eastern District of Missouri. Since leaving federal service in 1977, I have filed more personal bankruptcy cases than any other lawyer in the history of Missouri. In fact, I received the Missouri Bar Association award for "Excellence in Bankruptcy" in 1997. This marked the first time an attorney who represents people, and not banks or government agencies, had ever been given this award. I also write for various legal publications and am a frequent speaker on the subject of bankruptcy for various bar organizations.

Since guns and writing about them are my passions, I always seem to have several projects in the works. Currently I’m working on a book about W.E. Fairbairn, E.A. Sykes, and the Shanghai Municipal Police with my longtime friend and shooting buddy Leroy Thompson, as well as a book entitled Round Guns and Square Guns, my version of Sixguns by Elmer Keith. I am also beginning work on a detailed history of the Glock pistol as a collector’s item. In addition, I am providing as much help and encouragement as possible to my friend John Ross, the author of Unintended Consequences, the great 1996 novel that so aptly captures the gun culture.

A. I try to ask all the people I know who have the type of firearms I need and get them to ask their friends, etc. It works. I often have to buy them, of course. Finding them to test or buy gets to be a major chore and makes you realize how much our freedoms have been curtailed.

A. Yes, but I have managed to get along. Sometimes I have to make it from other brass, etc. This adds to the fun! There is nothing I cannot get ammo for, given enough time.

A. I was in the military for seven years and left as a captain. I also served as a U.S. Marshal for approximately two years in the Midwest.