{"id":113822,"date":"2019-11-30T17:53:15","date_gmt":"2019-11-30T22:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=113822"},"modified":"2019-11-30T17:53:15","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T02:04:21","slug":"the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/","title":{"rendered":"Gunfighting – The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Gunfighting
Nowadays soft body armor is ubiquitous kit anyplace people try to hurt one another. The concept spawned from some dark fascinating episodes. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes some of the most\nremarkable stuff comes from some of the most unexpected places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Luke Short was the archetypal Old West gunslinger with several successful shootouts under his belt. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Luke Short was a Faro dealer and part-owner of the Oriental Saloon in Tombstone, Arizona Territories, in 1882. The veteran of any number of successful gunfights, at 32 years of age Short was a seasoned gunman. On February 26th he was dealing cards at the Oriental opposite a local ne\u2019er-do-well named Charlie Storms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Charlie Storms was in attendance the day Jack McCall murdered Wild Bill Hickok. Wild Bill\u2019s flowing locks were part of his mystique. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Storms was in his sixties\nand was likewise an experienced gunslinger with several notches to his gun. He\nhad been present at the killing of Wild Bill Hickok six years prior and was\nrumored to have taken Wild Bill\u2019s pistol as a souvenir in the mayhem that\nfollowed. This fateful day in February of 1882 Storms had been true to his\nname. He was naturally argumentative and had been up all night playing cards,\nsucking down cheap whiskey, and quarreling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Bat Masterson was a famous gambler, gunfighter, and Dodge City Sheriff who enjoyed a friendship with both Charlie Storms and Luke Short. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bat Masterson was acquainted with both men. While no one went to bed with a truly clean conscience in Tombstone in the 1880s, Masterson\u2019s friendship with both Short and Storms was genuine. He sincerely wished to play the role of peacemaker. When tempers flared he attempted an intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nShooting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Gunfighting
Luke Short is shown here second from the left on the back row. The man to his left is Bat Masterson. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The working theory is\nthat Storms simply misjudged Short. Masterson later wrote that he thought that\nCharlie felt Luke was the sort he could smack around with impunity. However,\nthere is a timeless axiom among gunfighters. One should never underestimate\none\u2019s enemies. Storms would live to regret his temper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
George Goodfellow MD was a serial womanizer who kept in the company of hard men. He happened to be lifting a glass in the Oriental when things went sideways. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Storms vociferously\naccused Short of cheating. Masterson intervened before things got out of\ncontrol and moved the intoxicated man outside the establishment. Once he had\nStorms safely in the street he tried to calm Short down as well. Throughout it\nall Dr. George Goodfellow MD sat at a nearby table nursing his drink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Charlie Storms\u2019 cut-down Peacemaker was designed for concealment and fast action. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All involved were then surprised\nto see the drunken Storms barge back towards Short. He pushed his friend\nMasterson aside, took hold of Short\u2019s right ear in his left hand, and made for\nhis gun, a cut-down .45-caliber Colt Peacemaker Sheriff\u2019s Model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
The muzzle blast from the heavy .45LC round can be prodigious. At contact range, it was adequate to set Charlie Storms\u2019 shirt alight. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whether the issue was decided by Short\u2019s greater skill, his relative youth, or simply the fact that the younger man\u2019s judgment and reflexes were not so impaired as were those of his intoxicated opponent, Luke drew faster. He pressed the muzzle of his own Peacemaker against Storm\u2019s left chest, thumbing the hammer back as it came to bear, and fired a heavy 255-grain lead slug straight through the man\u2019s heart. He cycled his revolver and shot the hapless malcontent a second time as he fell backward. The discharge of the weapon was so close and so violent that it set Charlie\u2019s shirt on fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Actual Old West saloon gunfights were close range and pitiless as demonstrated by this classic NC Wyeth painting. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The two rounds knocked Storms rearward some twelve feet and onto his back. Along the way Storms got off two shots of his own from his stubby single-action pistol, neither of which connected. Though it took a moment for his brain to get the memo, Storms was dead when he hit the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Working as he did in Tombstone gave Dr. Goodfellow superb opportunity to study and treat gunshot wounds. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Goodfellow was nearby watching everything with a detached professional interest. Goodfellow was a fascinating character who lived in the company of fascinating characters. The good doctor was at the time the world\u2019s foremost authority on gunshot wounds. Living and practicing as he did in the gunfighting capital of the American West he had ample opportunity to study such stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
The .45 LC is a brute of a cartridge that punches deep. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Charlie Storms was beyond\nsaving. Short\u2019s heavy bullet tore all the way through his heart and flattened\non his vertebral column. What surprised Dr. Goodfellow, however, was that,\nunlike other chest wounds he had attended, that of Charlie Storms reflected a\nrather bloodless slaughter. Once he retired Storms\u2019 cooling corpse to the\nundertaker\u2019s office and got him disassembled he uncovered the reason. His\ndiscovery would shape the tactical landscape to this very day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serendipitous\nBody Armor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Gunfighting
The classic silk handkerchief is a timeless fashion accessory. Dr. Goodfellow discovered that it also renders admirable service containing bullets. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It seems when Charlie\nStorms had set out the morning prior he had tucked a modest silk handkerchief\ninto his left breast pocket. Short\u2019s heavy bullet had center-punched the dainty\naccessory. However, instead of tearing through as would certainly have been the\ncase with cotton or wool, the silk encapsulated the penetrating missile and\naccompanied it into the wound. Dr. Goodfellow was amazed to find that the\nhandkerchief was not torn or otherwise violated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Another of Goodfellow\u2019s patients was the recipient of a load of 00 buckshot. A typical charge of 00 buck launches nine .33-caliber lead balls. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Goodfellow attended another unfortunate gentleman who caught a load of buckshot from a 12-bore to the face. This poor slob took several shots that punched through his sinuses and facial bones before expeditiously snuffing his mortal glimmer. However, one of the heavy .33-caliber balls caught the man square on his silk hatband and failed to penetrate. Had that been the sole missile it would have precipitated a mighty headache and left an impressive mark but should not have killed the man. Dr. Goodfellow was a smart guy, and these observations lit his fuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nGuns<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Gunfighting
The 1873 Colt Peacemaker is as iconic a firearm as ever was contrived. This timeless design is as elegant as it is effective. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Both men in this torrid little tale apparently carried their own variations of Samuel Colt\u2019s classic 1873 Peacemaker revolvers. The 1873 was a cartridge-firing evolution of the earlier cap and ball wheelguns with which both sides prosecuted the American Civil War. The single-action 1873 remains a respectable combat tool even today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
The 1873 Colt revolver looks like it should be awfully awkward and inefficient. Quite the contrary, Colonel Colt\u2019s masterpiece is perfectly balanced, timelessly effective, and a delight to run. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a literal lifetime of study, I cannot seem to tease out the secret sauce with which Sam Colt infused his 19th-century revolvers. The graceful arching grip lacks stippling or finger grooves at all yet it fits my own greasy mitts better than any modern plastic pistol. The massive spurred hammer looks like it would catch on absolutely everything, yet I can run this old single action almost as well as I might more modern iron. The swinging gate reloading system is undeniably laborious, particularly if you find yourself in a rush, but the gun is otherwise remarkably efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
The archetypal military version of the Peacemaker sported a long 7.5-inch barrel. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most 1873 Peacemakers\ncame from the factory in 4.75, 5.5, and 7.5-inch barrel lengths. We presume\nthat of Luke Short had one of the more abbreviated tubes. Charlie Storms\u2019 gun\nis described in reliable sources as a particularly short-barreled version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Stubby short-barreled variants of the 1873 varied considerably in their details yet remained both concealable and powerful. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Short-barreled\nPeacemakers typically sported barrels of four inches or less. Sometimes they\nlacked forward sights and ejector rods. These stubby little wheelguns were\ntypically known informally as the Sheriff\u2019s Model, the Banker\u2019s Special, or the\nShopkeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
A chopped barrel on a defensive firearm inevitably takes a toll on performance yet typically makes the gun more portable and maneuverable while inevitably amping up the cool points. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then as now shorter barrels equaled better concealment but lower velocities. In the sorts of contact-range engagements described here, losing a little velocity among friends didn\u2019t make much difference. However, concealability and accessibility could determine who thrived and who died. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nRest of the Story<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Gunfighting
Luke Short survived his gunfighting career ultimately to succumb to kidney disease at a young age. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marshal Ben Sippy arrested\nLuke Short and accused him of murder. Mostly due to the testimony of Bat\nMasterson he was released once the sordid episode was appreciated as a\nclear-cut case of self-defense. Short, experienced gunman that he was, ultimately\ndied at age 39 from Bright\u2019s Disease, a particularly insidious kidney malady\nthat likely would have been a pretty horrid way to go in the days before decent\nmedical care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Goodfellow was a true\nrenaissance man widely published in the medical journals of the day. In 1887 he\npenned The Impenetrability of Silk to\nBullets <\/em>for the Southern California\nPractitioner. <\/em>He was the first surgeon to document the need for an\nexploratory laparotomy in the case of gunshot wounds to the abdomen. His\ngroundbreaking work in this field shapes surgical decision making to this very\nday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Dr. Goodfellow collected Gila Monsters and intentionally allowed one of the venomous reptiles to bite him just to prove that such an attack was survivable. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Goodfellow conducted extensive\nprimary research on the bites and venom of Gila Monsters and rattlesnakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
George Goodfellow was also a self-taught seismologist who produced this map of the fault lines of the Bavispe earthquake that struck the Mexican state of Sonora in 1887. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He also produced one of the first reliable maps of an earthquake fault zone. In his free time, he helped negotiate the end of the Spanish American War. Dr. Goodfellow was indeed a fascinating guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Failure to appreciate the nature of infection ultimately killed President James Garfield. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Gunfighting
George Goodfellow effectively sterilized his instruments using strong soap and whiskey. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1882 few embraced the germ theory of disease, so sawbones surgeons of the era would explore wounds and attempt to retrieve bullets using nothing more than their own filthy fingers. Such primitive technique literally killed President James Garfield after Charles Guiteau shot him in the belly in 1881. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Goodfellow\u2019s epiphany ultimately spawned the earliest examples of soft body armor. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, Dr. Goodfellow would sterilize his hands and instruments with whiskey and lye soap before an operation and found that he enjoyed markedly higher survival rates than did his non-sterile counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Modern body armor is both comfortable and effective. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Goodfellow\u2019s research into silk as a bullet-resistant material led to rudimentary soft body armor. These vests were made from multiple layers of silk, itself already just stupid expensive, so they could cost upwards of $800 a piece back in the day. That\u2019s about $50,000 in today\u2019s dollars. There is a persistent tale that Archduke Ferdinand owned one of these vests on the day he was shot yet failed to wear it for reasons lost to history. This oversight precipitated the First World War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
Luke Short\u2019s tidy spot of violence ultimately saved countless lives. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately silk was\nreplaced by more advanced synthetic materials that eventually led to today\u2019s\nKevlar and Spectra fibers. Nowadays nobody in any developed country heads into\nharm\u2019s way without sheathing him or herself within some kind of body armor. The\nnumber of lives saved is truly incalculable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gunfighting
The site of Charlie Storms\u2019 murder is now a popular and commercialized tourist attraction. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The fascinating bit is that it all started with a gory disagreement over a card game, an inquisitive surgeon, and a dainty silk handkerchief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fascinating bit is that it all started with a gory disagreement over a card game, an inquisitive surgeon, and a dainty silk handkerchief.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":113850,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[257,772],"tags":[132,102,752,636],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-113822","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-historical-guns","8":"category-will-dabbs","9":"tag-buzz","10":"tag-feature-articles","11":"tag-historical-guns","12":"tag-history"},"yoast_head":"\nGunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor - Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The fascinating bit is that it all started with a gory disagreement over a card game, an inquisitive surgeon, and a dainty silk handkerchief.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/will.dabbs.9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-30T22:53:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-06T02:04:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"790\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Will Dabbs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Will Dabbs\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4b818f415191c071a88bdc0d8cb33eca\"},\"headline\":\"Gunfighting – The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-30T22:53:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-06T02:04:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2036,\"commentCount\":17,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Buzz\",\"Feature Articles\",\"Historical Guns\",\"History\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Historical Guns\",\"Will Dabbs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-30T22:53:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-06T02:04:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor - Will Dabbs\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":790,\"caption\":\"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gunfighting – The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\\\/Digest\",\"description\":\"Gun Reviews, Industry News, and Product Reviews for Rifles, Pistols, Revolvers, Shotguns, Optics, and Ammunition. Looking to purchase a firearm online? Look no further than GunsAmerica.com, America's premier destination for buying and selling firearms.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"GunsAmerica\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/image-3.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/image-3.png\",\"width\":286,\"height\":156,\"caption\":\"GunsAmerica\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/gunsamerica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/gunsamerica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/gunsamerica_official\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/GunsAmerica\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4b818f415191c071a88bdc0d8cb33eca\",\"name\":\"Will Dabbs\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f92754a3ed333ac83169c15688576870270fedca39840d42964bdc8aba0f8bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f92754a3ed333ac83169c15688576870270fedca39840d42964bdc8aba0f8bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f92754a3ed333ac83169c15688576870270fedca39840d42964bdc8aba0f8bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Will Dabbs\"},\"description\":\"Will is still trying to figure out what he really wants to be when he grows up. However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\\\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie \u201cAliens.\u201d www.word-monkey.com Experience: -Professional Writer-thousands of publishing credits for dozens of titles -Mechanical Engineer\\\/Practicing Physician -Instrument-rated Commercial Pilot -Sunday School Teacher\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.word-monkey.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/will.dabbs.9\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/drwildmanmd\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/author\\\/willdabbs\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor","description":"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor - Will Dabbs","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor","og_description":"The fascinating bit is that it all started with a gory disagreement over a card game, an inquisitive surgeon, and a dainty silk handkerchief.","og_url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/","og_site_name":"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/will.dabbs.9","article_published_time":"2019-11-30T22:53:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-09-06T02:04:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":790,"url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Will Dabbs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@gunsamerica","twitter_site":"@gunsamerica","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Will Dabbs","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/"},"author":{"name":"Will Dabbs","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#\/schema\/person\/4b818f415191c071a88bdc0d8cb33eca"},"headline":"Gunfighting – The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor","datePublished":"2019-11-30T22:53:15+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-06T02:04:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/"},"wordCount":2036,"commentCount":17,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg","keywords":["Buzz","Feature Articles","Historical Guns","History"],"articleSection":["Historical Guns","Will Dabbs"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/","name":"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg","datePublished":"2019-11-30T22:53:15+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-06T02:04:21+00:00","description":"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor - Will Dabbs","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/dabbslukeshort-26.jpg","width":1200,"height":790,"caption":"Gunfighting - The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-murder-of-charlie-storms-by-luke-short\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gunfighting – The Killing of Charlie Storms: The Birth of Modern Body Armor"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/","name":"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest","description":"Gun Reviews, Industry News, and Product Reviews for Rifles, Pistols, Revolvers, Shotguns, Optics, and Ammunition. Looking to purchase a firearm online? Look no further than GunsAmerica.com, America's premier destination for buying and selling firearms.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#organization","name":"GunsAmerica","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3.png","width":286,"height":156,"caption":"GunsAmerica"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica","https:\/\/x.com\/gunsamerica","https:\/\/instagram.com\/gunsamerica_official\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/GunsAmerica"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/#\/schema\/person\/4b818f415191c071a88bdc0d8cb33eca","name":"Will Dabbs","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f92754a3ed333ac83169c15688576870270fedca39840d42964bdc8aba0f8bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f92754a3ed333ac83169c15688576870270fedca39840d42964bdc8aba0f8bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f92754a3ed333ac83169c15688576870270fedca39840d42964bdc8aba0f8bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Will Dabbs"},"description":"Will is still trying to figure out what he really wants to be when he grows up. However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie \u201cAliens.\u201d www.word-monkey.com Experience: -Professional Writer-thousands of publishing credits for dozens of titles -Mechanical Engineer\/Practicing Physician -Instrument-rated Commercial Pilot -Sunday School Teacher","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.word-monkey.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/will.dabbs.9","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drwildmanmd\/"],"url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/author\/willdabbs\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/dabbslukeshort-26-150x99.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113822"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185584,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113822\/revisions\/185584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113822"},{"taxonomy":"featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured?post=113822"},{"taxonomy":"hunt365","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hunt365?post=113822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}