Unintended Consequences Study Guide

Henry Bowman is the principal character, although the story begins in 1906, long before Bowman's birth on January 10, 1953. The story is told primarily from his perspective when he is in his early forties. Bowman grows up in the St. Louis, Missouri area, where much of the story takes place. He is a trained geologist, a self-taught expert marksman, a firearms, ammunition, and self-defense authority, and a pilot. Bowman lives on a rural acreage near the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. There is an abandoned stone quarry on his land which Bowman uses for recreational shooting. Bowman, in the novel, enjoys owning performance automobiles and driving at high speed on interstate highways. In one part of the novel, he races his hot-rodded GMC truck against a rival Porsche, with Bowman winning, driving in excess of 140 mph to win. Bowman also has several forged identities that he uses for various purposes in the novel. Bowman is a proficient skydiver.

Walter "Blackout" Bowman is Henry's father. A skilled pilot and U.S. Navy officer, he trained naval aviators during World War II, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He represents the studious, responsible and thoughtful side of the younger Bowman. The author has stated that the elder Bowman is based on his own father.

Max Collins is Bowman's uncle. He is portrayed as a larger-than life character who is an expert marksman, professional gambler and accomplished ladies' man. He served in the airborne troops of D-Day, and killed a German army officer in combat with his sniper rifle. In the novel, at a 1960s Nevada shooting competition, he bets on his nephew Henry's shooting, winning $10,000. He represents the adventurous, spontaneous and aggressive side of Henry Bowman. The author has stated that Collins is based on his own uncle.

Irwin Mann is a survivor of The Holocaust and the Warsaw Ghetto, and a key participant in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. His inclusion in the story permits a study of the use of firearms by average citizens to repel an oppressive government, and connects Nazi gun control measures to U.S. gun control efforts.

Ray Johnson is a New York attorney, originally from Aspen, Colorado, who moves to Africa in 1963 and becomes a big-game safari guide. His return to the U.S. in 1994 serves to illustrate how much U.S. gun owners' freedoms have been eroded, due to legislation and an executive order enacted during his absence. At the airport, the customs officials attempt to confiscate an English double rifle worth some US$40,000, a Belgian FN FAL semi-automatic rifle, a Smith&Wesson 2" Chief's Special revolver, and his hat which wears a leopard skin hat band. Ray calls his friend Henry, and Henry calls in a favor with a friend who is a high-ranking agent of Customs. Ray is allowed to keep his firearms and enter the United States.

Allen Kane is a major machine gun dealer who is Henry's lifelong friend. A major shift in the novel's plot occurs when Henry finds corrupt ATF agents framing Allen, himself, and another firearms dealer. Allen aids and accompanies Henry in much of the novel.

Cindy Caswell is a victim of childhood abuse and organized crime who becomes important in the freedom struggle as it develops. She is from Rolla, Missouri. She is abducted by mafia thugs during a trip to Chicago, Illinois, who force her to become a sex slave for mafia bosses and leaders. After several years, she escapes and meets Henry Bowman at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. She assassinates many pro-gun control and big-government politicians and legislators in the novel. The author has been criticized for creating an "adolescent fantasy" with this character. Ten years after writing the novel, Ross met Tammy Chapman, whose early life shares a resemblance to that of the fictional Caswell. Ross and Chapman now live together in St. Louis.