Local author publishes second book
Oct. 27—BATESVILLE — In 2019, Larry Reidy began to write an autobiography as a memoir for his kids and grandchildren. Once the pandemic began, Reidy decided to write another book: "Batesville Shooter and Friends."
In 2016, Reidy began a website called Batesvilleshooter.com where he reviewed guns. He owns 115 guns. Knowing that not everyone uses the Internet, Reidy decided to put some of his reviews in the book. He also invited 24 of his friends to write gun reviews for his newest work.
"I feel that if this book could save one life, it's worth it. No matter how many I sell," Reidy said. "In 2020, the population of this country was 333 million. The average household is 2.5 people. The percentage of gun owners per household is 42% of the population. Most of those are for home protection and I think every year for the last five years there's been over a million incidents where lives were saved by legal gun owners."
Originally from Cincinnati, Reidy has been a Batesville resident for 45 years. He's been married for 59 years and has seven children, 18 grandchildren and will soon welcome his sixth great grandchild. He opened the Greensburg Motorsports store in 1985, but has retired since then. Now he's an author.
"I started on the book right when Covid got going and it took me about four and a half months to write," Reidy said. "I don't know what I'm going to do when I grow up. It'll probably be: never write another book. It's too hard."
Orange Frazer Press of Wilmington, Ohio, served as Reidy's publisher. He paid an additional $3,000 to have the books printed in the U.S. The release date was Aug. 24. Reidy said some people like the book because it helps them decide which kind of home protection or sporting gun they want to purchase. Others enjoy the friends' gun reviews.
Reidy visited a gun collector in Kentucky and claims to be one of maybe 15 people who have visited the man's gun collection. The man had two Savage rifles built for the Dodge brothers in 1904, a sharpshooter gun from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and about 50 Python Colt 357 Magnums. The collector rarely fires these guns. Reidy was fascinated by the man and his collection.
Reidy is an Army and National Guard veteran. He was a small business owner for 54 years and has been married for 59 years. The 82-year-old thanks God for his longevity and hopes to continue "keeping the old man out" for many years to come.
Reidy has offered to send a signed copy of his new book for a Christmas gift or to anyone out of state. He asks that those interested call him at (812) 871-4224 with their name and address for billing, the recipient's name and address and the dedication information. He offers to send the book with a Christmas card from the purchaser for a total of $33.80. The book can also be purchased at larryreidy.net or on Amazon.
