“Because we deal with exposing murderers who
have beaten the system, Inside Story magazine requires that
all news reporters and editors carry handguns,” says Manny Bettencourt,
editor and publisher of INSIDE STORY.
“Half our investigative reporters are former
law enforcement personnel. For them, the
choice is often easy, they carry the same make, model and caliber handgun they
carried ‘on the job.’
For instance, Chapter 2 of INSIDE STORY:
Murder in the Pinelands, describes my co-publisher and deputy editor, including
his personal choice for defense:
“Deputy Editor Gunnar Thompson, Managing Editor Charles "Chaz" Thornhill and Assistant Managing Editor Marshall
Grossman, the Team Two leader, Bettencourt discusses the status of stories in
the lineup for the November issue, out in late October.
Thompson slumps on the sofa at the opposite end of the room from the
editor and publisher’s desk. At
six-feet-four-inches in height, and weighing 325 pounds, Thompson is one of the
biggest members of the news staff. His
collar is open, stripped necktie askew, and his sleeves are rolled up. The large Beretta Model 92 semi-automatic
pistol he wears in a cross-draw holster looks tiny on his big frame.
At a glance, anyone can tell Thompson is a former cop. Less apparent is his brain power. He holds masters’ degrees in police
management and criminal forensics. Those
dual degrees from the University
of Minnesota fueled his
climb to the post from which he retired to help start the magazine. He ended his police career as chief of
detectives with the St. Paul
police department.”
“The
Beretta Model 92FS is a big gun. It fires the 9 mm. parabellum
round, the standard handgun caliber for NATO and many U.S. and
European police departments. It’s about 8.5 inches long and weighs in at
just a tad under three pounds. Magazine capacity is 15 rounds and, when
loaded with something other than jacketed-round- nose bullets, packs a lot of
lethal firepower.”
