Throughout the novel, various firearms play a key role in developing characters and themes. Walt’s personal gun is a Colt 1911A1 pistol that he used in Vietnam; he describes the weapon as “heavy, hard to aim” with a “slow rate of fire” (37). The fact that Walt used the gun in Vietnam links his current career with his wartime experiences, showing the formative effect of the former. Meanwhile, the gun’s awkwardness suggests that Walt is not particularly keen on using it any more than he has to. Otherwise, he would likely have replaced it with something more sleek and modern.

Several characters express differing views of firearms in general. A professional hunter by trade, Omar is the most enthusiastic about his guns. Walt, by contrast, has a more neutral outlook that he adopted from his father, a blacksmith, who viewed guns simply as tools. Vonnie, on the other hand, demonstrates a strong revulsion to guns when Walt brings one into her home, and she asks him to leave it outside. It is later revealed that she used her father’s buffalo rifle to shoot Cody and Jacob, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that she is disingenuous when she makes her comments to Walt.