FBI's Firearms History: Guns & Training Evolution by Gun Digest

By Bill Vanderpool

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1946267406
• ISBN13: 9781946267405
• Release Date: January 2018
• Publisher: Gun Digest Books
• Length: 351 Pages
• Weight: 2.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent history of the F.B.I. and firearms

Bill Vanderpool was an F.B.I. (Federal Bureau of Investigations) agent for twenty years (1973-1993). Much of his F.B.I. career was as a firearms instructor. After retiring he went to work for Sigarms in the company's military and law enforcement sales division. A position which kept him appraised of changes as they regarded the Bureaus equipment and training. The F.B.I. is part of the United States Department of Justice and can trace its beginnings back to 1896 and the formation of the National Bureau of Criminal Identification. There followed a thirty-nine-year evolutionary process, ending with the creation of the F.B.I. in 1935. The Bureau has always had a strong sense of institutional history, which is at its strongest when it comes to firearms (used by the Bureau and seized from gangsters and other suspects) and the instruction of agents in the use of said firearms. Evidently Mr. Vanderpool has an interest in both history and firearms. The inevitable result is a book detailing the history of the F.B.I.'s firearms, equipment, training and facilities. The book is detailed and broken down into thirty chapters and six addendums. If you've ever wanted to know about the types of handguns used by the Bureau during it's eighty-five years, or why the Bureau switched back to 9mm pistols a couple of years ago you'll find that, and much more, in Mr. Vanderpool's book. Lavishly illustrated with photographs (many of high quality) and reproductions of bureau documents. The book is readable and interesting (if one is interested in such things). Most of the chapters are only a few pages long with a few chapters covering no more than a dozen, but there is no lack of information. Very likely that his thirty years in law enforcement (he was an investigator with the State of Florida before joining the F.B.I.) taught Mr. Vanderpool how to write compactly, but pack his documentation with lots of pertinent information. At least that's been my personal experience over the past twenty years. As a history buff, career police officer and firearms collector I found this book to be a great read and a welcomed addition to my library. If you also have similar interests I have no reservations recommending Mr. Vanderpool's book.