Stephen Hunter Receives POMA award at 2020 Shot Show

On 22 January, 2020, the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) awarded novelist Stephen Hunter with the Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award.

From POMA: 

The award recognizes extraordinary achievements in communications and in support of our hunting heritage and firearm freedoms.

Hunter is 40-year veteran author of more than a dozen novels and is known for exacting technical details about firearms and shooting. His 1993 novel "Point of Impact" was made into the movie "Shooter," starring Mark Wahlberg, which grossed almost 100 million dollars. Hunter is an avid shooter. His latest novel is "Game of Snipers," which continues the wildly-successful series featuring American sniper Bob Lee Swagger. In his 2001 novel "Pale Horse Coming," Hunter built the plot around characters which were based loosely on famous gun writers of the past.  

As the film critic for the Washington Post, Hunter received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2003.

Grits Gresham's son, Tom Gresham, host of the nationally-syndicated Gun Talk Radio and a book author, presented Hunter with the award during the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, NV.

Hunter lives in Maryland and is working on his next novel.

"As a lover of hunting literature from Hemingway to Ruark to Capstick, and particularly the work of the great gun writers," said Hunter, "it's an unexpected honor to be selected by POMA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation for this award. It's a pleasure to be included with some of the best outdoor and firearms writers of our time."

Stephen Hunter said the purpose of his first novel was to show how good, accomplished, smart and effective a top level shooter was. He wanted to present a master shooter as a hero instead of a villain. He said we find ourselves in a culture unable to honor those who kill in our name.  He wanted to show those outside the shooting culture how much restraint, stamina, and emphasis on safety exists among shooters.

Stephen Hunter stated: "My adventures in the gun world have always been positive and decent".  Hunter said, when he started writing, he knew practically nothing about guns.

Tom Gresham recognized Stephen Hunter's skills in his remarks:

"I've been a Stephen Hunter fan since 1980, when I read 'Master Sniper,'" said Gresham. "I remember thinking then that this guy knows guns and is bringing technical accuracy to popular fiction. The attention and wide-spread following Hunter's novels garnered have caused other writers to work harder to get the details right on firearms. Stephen also has exposed the world of the law-abiding gun owner to a greater audience."

Recognizing the importance of getting technical details right in reporting about guns would be a significant step forward in the way guns are treated in the Legacy media. Stephan Hunter sets an example for other writers to follow.



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