Over two decades since this book was written and sadly its still quite relevant. The book takes the story of how one boy got one gun to shoot at a school and looks at how past US decisions got us to the point where gun violence is a daily happening and yet most Americans don't even bat an eye. the two stories are interlocked to demonstrate the story of how a boy easily gets a hold of a gun to seek revenge against a fellow student while showing how America became the nation that holds guns central to its heritage and how children growing up in that environment view guns as a way to solve problems. Larson points out that despite most people having a more moderate view on guns, the vocal right shaped legislation. Despite gun violence now occurring down the street action doesn't seem to take place until it happens to us. Nowadays it is hard to meet someone who doesn't know someone who wasn't touched by gun violence anymore and the news is filled with violent shootings but yet vocal outrage and action hasn't taken place because of its gradual encroachment on every day americans life -- out of the mob, the city, and gangs. this is the story of how America got to this point.... and he actually offers a logical solution.... sadly as he points out it will never happen any time soon, and I'm sad to say two decades later his plan has not reached fruition as it sounds wonderful. He has a very unbiased view in my opinion. The book is well written, well researched. He doesn't want to encroach on collectors or hunters or other people from getting guns... he just thinks that people should have to demonstrate some responsibility and prove that they are not mentally disturbed or a felon to get one. As he points out it was previously harder to get a drivers license than to get a gun in many states...If it was your neighbor buying the gun would you want someone to try to verify that they weren't mentally unstable, they hadn't been convicted of murder, they demonstrated some knowledge about firearms. I sure would... and as some background my neighbors did have a gun battle in my hallway with crossfire into my apartment. I for one don't know if my current neighbors have guns but given I still live in apartments if they are I hope they are responsible gun owners.
In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't make it all the way through this book. I really like the author's other books but this one was not what I expected. I was more interested in hearing the story of this kid and the school shooting but that turned out to just be mentioned for maybe one graf per chapter if that. The rest is just facts and dates about gun production and gun laws. It might have been interesting still, but it was just so incredibly biased and one-sided. I felt insulted as a reader - like Larson just used this one shooting as an excuse to cram his agenda on gun control down my throat and didn't expect me to notice. I don't really have a firm stance on gun control issues but I definitely think that the arguments used in this book are unfair and seem more like scare tactics than reason-based logic. One of my major gripes with Larson in this book is that for all of his amazing research skills as an author, he seems to completely misrepresent the issue at hand. If I were going to write a book about gun control in America, I would have at least sought to acquire a basic understanding of what the 2nd amendment is about. Because even I know it's not about hunting as the book suggests.
I wrote these impressions of the book back then: >>This book is the story of 16 yr. old Nicholas who brought to school and fired a Cobray M 11/9. Through the story, Larson carefully traces the travels of the weapon and convincingly demonstrates what is wrong with gun laws in the United States. I found the book both interesting and instructive. Before reading it, I had not idea of how easy it could be to buy a firearm (not that I would want to). Mr. Larson's conclusions are credible because of the experiences he acquired while researching the book from shooting excursions with the NRA to acquiring a firearms dealer license.<
—Angel
Erik Larson is one of my favorite authors, and this is a fine book, but you can tell he wrote it early in his career. He definitely perfected his writing as the years passed. It is still well-written, but I can't say that it's a fun book to read. It will leave you shaking your head at our insane, lax gun laws, and the most frustrating thing is that in the twenty years since this book was written, it has only gotten worse. Larson wonders what it will take to make us pass common sense gun reform laws. I honestly don't know at this point. If Sandy Hook didn't do it, what will? Good, but disheartening.
—Beth Riches
This is the story of American gun culture told through the story of bullied schoolboy Nicholas Elliot, who plots his revenge by acquiring a handgun and then opening up on his teachers and classmates in a private Christian school in Virginia in December, 1988. Larson traces the history of the Cobray M-11/9 from its creation to its arrival in the hand of an angry young man in the context of (deliberately) lax legislation that makes it easier to get a gun than to get a driver's license in the United States. Larson challenges the myths that suggest that gun ownership is part and parcel of the American character by citing statistics that show how our permissive gun culture undermines the safety and security we crave.Larson does his research and tells one compelling story.
—Sandy
