McManus, in his stories, has a certain amount of disgruntlement for people who take great pleasure in the minutiae of various sports (such as encyclopediac knowledge of firearms calibers and ballistics). He refers to firearms enthusiasts as 'gun nuts' and treats their excited sharing of the fine points of ballistic arcs and grain sizes as something to be endured to get on a good hunting trip. Some of the elements show up in his longer works, and are even worked into the plots. Bo Tully, the protagonist of the Bo Tully Mysteries, shares McManus' views about firearms. In the course of his job as Sheriff and his hobbies, Tully uses guns, knows about guns, but isn't particularly excited by them or even sentimental towards them. He is, however, aware that many people are. This even serves as plot point in one of the Bo Tully mysteries. References External links Patrick McManus Papers, 1952-2016. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA. 1933 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American columnists American humorists American male non-fiction writers American mystery writers Eastern Washington University faculty People from Sandpoint, Idaho Washington State University alumni Writers from Olympia, Washington Writers from Spokane, Washington 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers