What do you think?
Rate this book
American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15
A finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
“A magisterial work of narrative history and original reportage . . . You can feel the tension building one cold, catastrophic fact at a time . . . A virtually unprecedented achievement.” —Mike Spies, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
A Washington Post top 50 nonfiction book of 2023 | Short-listed for the Zócalo Book Prize
One of The New York Times’ 33 nonfiction books to read this fall | One of Esquire’s best books of fall | A Kirkus Reviews best nonfiction book of 2023
Named a most anticipated book of the fall by The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Bloomberg
American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15 presents the epic history of America’s most controversial weapon.
In the 1950s, an obsessive firearms designer named Eugene Stoner invented the AR-15 rifle in a California garage. High-minded and patriotic, Stoner sought to devise a lightweight, easy-to-use weapon that could replace the M1s touted by soldiers in World War II. What he did create was a lethal handheld icon of the American century.
In American Gun, the veteran Wall Street Journal reporters Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson track the AR-15 from inception to ubiquity. How did the same gun represent the essence of freedom to millions of Americans and the essence of evil to millions more? To answer this question, McWhirter and Elinson follow Stoner—the American Kalashnikov—as he struggled mightily to win support for his invention, which under the name M16 would become standard equipment in Vietnam. Shunned by gun owners at first, the rifle’s popularity would take off thanks to a renegade band of small-time gun makers. And in the 2000s, it would become the weapon of choice for mass shooters, prompting widespread calls for proscription even as the gun industry embraced it as a financial savior. Writing with fairness and compassion, McWhirter and Elinson explore America’s gun culture, revealing the deep appeal of the AR-15, the awful havoc it wreaks, and the politics of reducing its toll. The result is a moral history of contemporary America’s love affair with technology, freedom, and weaponry.
“A magisterial work of narrative history and original reportage . . . You can feel the tension building one cold, catastrophic fact at a time . . . A virtually unprecedented achievement.” —Mike Spies, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
A Washington Post top 50 nonfiction book of 2023 | Short-listed for the Zócalo Book Prize
One of The New York Times’ 33 nonfiction books to read this fall | One of Esquire’s best books of fall | A Kirkus Reviews best nonfiction book of 2023
Named a most anticipated book of the fall by The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Bloomberg
American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15 presents the epic history of America’s most controversial weapon.
In the 1950s, an obsessive firearms designer named Eugene Stoner invented the AR-15 rifle in a California garage. High-minded and patriotic, Stoner sought to devise a lightweight, easy-to-use weapon that could replace the M1s touted by soldiers in World War II. What he did create was a lethal handheld icon of the American century.
In American Gun, the veteran Wall Street Journal reporters Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson track the AR-15 from inception to ubiquity. How did the same gun represent the essence of freedom to millions of Americans and the essence of evil to millions more? To answer this question, McWhirter and Elinson follow Stoner—the American Kalashnikov—as he struggled mightily to win support for his invention, which under the name M16 would become standard equipment in Vietnam. Shunned by gun owners at first, the rifle’s popularity would take off thanks to a renegade band of small-time gun makers. And in the 2000s, it would become the weapon of choice for mass shooters, prompting widespread calls for proscription even as the gun industry embraced it as a financial savior. Writing with fairness and compassion, McWhirter and Elinson explore America’s gun culture, revealing the deep appeal of the AR-15, the awful havoc it wreaks, and the politics of reducing its toll. The result is a moral history of contemporary America’s love affair with technology, freedom, and weaponry.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2023
183 people are currently reading
6521 people want to read
About the author
Cameron McWhirter
6 books27 followersCameron McWhirter is a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal. He was awarded a Nieman Foundation Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard in 2007. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia. "
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
November 3, 2023
Overall pretty good. The first half is the biography/history of the AR-15 the back half is much more about recent shootings and politics around the gun. The history is better than the commentary which is lacking. I think more focus on either history or current interest could’ve helped the book stick the landing. It starts strong and then really slows. But again, overall it’s good.
September 11, 2023
If you want to know how the United States became a land of mass shootings, read this book.
It is an excellent, gripping non-fiction account of the history of the world's most (in)famous rifle, the AR-15. I am sure it will cause some controversy, but it is written in a very balanced and nuanced way, without providing easy answers or demonizing either side of the conflict that this rifle embodies.
The first part of the book is the story of how the AR-15 was born and then transformed into the military M-16. I have to admit that I have no interest whatsoever in gun design or technology, but this book is so well written that I found this part surprisingly engaging. But even better is the second part, which describes how this invention was popularized in the U.S. and became a symbol of the deep political divide that haunts this country. There are very moving testimonies from victims of high-profile cases, as well as arguments from people who believe that no one has the right to take away their guns. The authors also provide a detailed and excellently sourced examination of the workings of Washington politics.
It is a grim paradox that the more people are killed in mass shootings, and the more politicians and civil society try to limit access to this deadly weapon, the more ubiquitous it becomes. In fact, it could be argued that gun manufacturers benefit from mass shootings, as their sales skyrocket after each one. And this paradox leads to the equally grim realization that there is no solution in sight - even though the authors show how other countries with similar gun cultures, Australia and New Zealand, dealt with this problem after tragedies happened in their communities. But the United States is a different story, unfortunately.
Thanks to the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
It is an excellent, gripping non-fiction account of the history of the world's most (in)famous rifle, the AR-15. I am sure it will cause some controversy, but it is written in a very balanced and nuanced way, without providing easy answers or demonizing either side of the conflict that this rifle embodies.
The first part of the book is the story of how the AR-15 was born and then transformed into the military M-16. I have to admit that I have no interest whatsoever in gun design or technology, but this book is so well written that I found this part surprisingly engaging. But even better is the second part, which describes how this invention was popularized in the U.S. and became a symbol of the deep political divide that haunts this country. There are very moving testimonies from victims of high-profile cases, as well as arguments from people who believe that no one has the right to take away their guns. The authors also provide a detailed and excellently sourced examination of the workings of Washington politics.
It is a grim paradox that the more people are killed in mass shootings, and the more politicians and civil society try to limit access to this deadly weapon, the more ubiquitous it becomes. In fact, it could be argued that gun manufacturers benefit from mass shootings, as their sales skyrocket after each one. And this paradox leads to the equally grim realization that there is no solution in sight - even though the authors show how other countries with similar gun cultures, Australia and New Zealand, dealt with this problem after tragedies happened in their communities. But the United States is a different story, unfortunately.
Thanks to the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
November 15, 2023
"There’s something wrong,” he said abruptly. “The U.S. has more gun deaths than the whole world and the school shootings and the mass shootings. What the hell’s the matter with us?” “There’s something wrong here,” he said again. He wondered why people who weren’t soldiers would want an AR- 15. “What in the hell would civilians want it for anyway?” he asked. “What the hell do you do with it? Jim Sullivan, the last living member of the original ArmaLite team.
I definitely share Mr. Sullivan's feelings, there is something wrong here and unfortunately what we are doing is killing large numbers of Americans with an invention intended for military use.
I will say that I have been around handguns most of my adult life and know how to use one, but I knew nothing about the history of the AR-15 so I found this book extremely interesting and I learned a lot of information. For those who say there's too much written about the mass shootings, I say you can't separate the weapon from the unintended consequences of its creation. Things are only going to get worse, if dozens of children in caskets do not move us enough to change then nothing will, and with politicians bought and paid for by the NRA, greedy gun manufacturers making billions, and a completely polarized electorate full of single issue voters, we can only expect the worse.
I definitely share Mr. Sullivan's feelings, there is something wrong here and unfortunately what we are doing is killing large numbers of Americans with an invention intended for military use.
I will say that I have been around handguns most of my adult life and know how to use one, but I knew nothing about the history of the AR-15 so I found this book extremely interesting and I learned a lot of information. For those who say there's too much written about the mass shootings, I say you can't separate the weapon from the unintended consequences of its creation. Things are only going to get worse, if dozens of children in caskets do not move us enough to change then nothing will, and with politicians bought and paid for by the NRA, greedy gun manufacturers making billions, and a completely polarized electorate full of single issue voters, we can only expect the worse.
May 29, 2025
Informative. Important. And probably won't get into the hands of the people that need this information most.
I probably won't have children. That doesn't mean I don't care about them. I'm horrified every time a mass shooting occurs in the US. And yet the people screaming the loudest for change aren't doing anything worth it. I'm not talking about anyone in this book. I'm talking about people I know. Sharing stories on your private Instagram isn't going to change anything. Get over your performative behavior.
I digress. While I don't personally think we need guns in this country, there is a massive difference in a handgun and an assault rifle. No one needs an assault rifle. Come for me. I don't care. And on the handgun debate, I know people living in other countries that outlaw guns. They've got knife fight issues. So it's not a gun thing. It's a violence thing. It's very much a human thing.
Where was I going with this? While some of this went over my head, because I'm not an expert in guns, and truly hated the one time my dad made us go to the range, I do semi-understand the politics of the matter. I definitely fall left of center, and on the gun control side of things, but I understand why lawmakers get stuck passing mediocre bills, the only ones that will pass. That is the sad state of this nation. I don't see anything changing. In fact, things will only get worse. In other countries, after major mass shootings, assault rifles were banned. The NRA has far too much power. Our representatives do not.
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
I probably won't have children. That doesn't mean I don't care about them. I'm horrified every time a mass shooting occurs in the US. And yet the people screaming the loudest for change aren't doing anything worth it. I'm not talking about anyone in this book. I'm talking about people I know. Sharing stories on your private Instagram isn't going to change anything. Get over your performative behavior.
I digress. While I don't personally think we need guns in this country, there is a massive difference in a handgun and an assault rifle. No one needs an assault rifle. Come for me. I don't care. And on the handgun debate, I know people living in other countries that outlaw guns. They've got knife fight issues. So it's not a gun thing. It's a violence thing. It's very much a human thing.
Where was I going with this? While some of this went over my head, because I'm not an expert in guns, and truly hated the one time my dad made us go to the range, I do semi-understand the politics of the matter. I definitely fall left of center, and on the gun control side of things, but I understand why lawmakers get stuck passing mediocre bills, the only ones that will pass. That is the sad state of this nation. I don't see anything changing. In fact, things will only get worse. In other countries, after major mass shootings, assault rifles were banned. The NRA has far too much power. Our representatives do not.
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
September 19, 2023
“What self-respecting hunter needed a rapid-fire rifle?”
The first half of the book focuses on the origins of the AR-15, rooted in the history of the American military — appropriately so for a military-grade weapon. Engaging where it could be boring, the story is one of both innovation and blunder, it has heroes and villains, it has life or death stakes. This part of the book was fine, likely necessary, but not what I came for… That came in part two.
There was a time when mass shootings didn’t happen everyday, the NRA wasn’t a political organization, and the AR-15 was already banned — with bipartisan support! This book traces every loophole, workaround, and circumvention used to maintain civilian access to this weapon of war over the following decades. At the very least it will give you a few facts to support your arguments at Thanksgiving… If facts still matter to whomever you’re arguing with.
By chapter 23, when we reach the Aurora, CO shooting at The Dark Knights Rises, we begin cruising through the gun’s greatest hits of American tragedies. You know them all. Here the book struggles to find anything new to say about these events, every stone already turned by the 24/7 news cycle. But perhaps there’s something to be gained from the aggregation, a deeper context.
The book ends at a 4th of July parade in 2023 because it has to end somewhere if it’s meant to be published. Of course, it’s already out of date… It’s a depressing and disheartening read, obviously, it’s brutal and not for everyone. If you do read it, it’ll stick with you for some time.
Anyway, register to vote.
The first half of the book focuses on the origins of the AR-15, rooted in the history of the American military — appropriately so for a military-grade weapon. Engaging where it could be boring, the story is one of both innovation and blunder, it has heroes and villains, it has life or death stakes. This part of the book was fine, likely necessary, but not what I came for… That came in part two.
There was a time when mass shootings didn’t happen everyday, the NRA wasn’t a political organization, and the AR-15 was already banned — with bipartisan support! This book traces every loophole, workaround, and circumvention used to maintain civilian access to this weapon of war over the following decades. At the very least it will give you a few facts to support your arguments at Thanksgiving… If facts still matter to whomever you’re arguing with.
By chapter 23, when we reach the Aurora, CO shooting at The Dark Knights Rises, we begin cruising through the gun’s greatest hits of American tragedies. You know them all. Here the book struggles to find anything new to say about these events, every stone already turned by the 24/7 news cycle. But perhaps there’s something to be gained from the aggregation, a deeper context.
The book ends at a 4th of July parade in 2023 because it has to end somewhere if it’s meant to be published. Of course, it’s already out of date… It’s a depressing and disheartening read, obviously, it’s brutal and not for everyone. If you do read it, it’ll stick with you for some time.
Anyway, register to vote.
November 21, 2023
A couple major reviewers called this book "a biography" of the AR-15, and I think that sums it up really well. It tells the story of how the gun was born, how it grew up and changed, and what it has become today. I was expecting it to be a lot more politicized than it was, but the authors seemed to take painstaking care to avoid that. They keep the tone objective (even when I wanted more rage), and they steer away from painting anyone in an overly diabolical light. But the gun has some awful moments in its story, especially in the past decades, and the book doesn't hide those, either. The beginning of the book is all about the invention itself, the need for a better gun in WWII, the mechanics and science of the gun, the technological advances that enabled it. But the politics of the gun lobby, the polarization of Americans' views on guns, the mass shootings, the fight for gun reform laws...all these are presented, too. I read this book because I wanted to be more educated about the gun itself, and I really appreciate the education I got from it. The book doesn't force opinions or views on the reader, but it definitely helped me clarify and develop my own.
January 21, 2024
I keep telling myself to stop reading things that make me this upset, but here we are. American Gun was an excellently written account of the creation of the AR-15, and how it subsequently came into civilian hands and became synonymous with mass shootings. This was a painful read and not for the faint of heart, but it is nonetheless important and I highly recommend to anyone looking to gain more insight into the gun-control debate.
January 20, 2024
Register to vote!
November 16, 2023
A well-written, well-researched, important book. Read it if you want to understand how mass shootings have become a tragic norm in the US. Be careful reading it if you have a tender heart or stomach. I found accounts of damage done with the AR-15 - both by members of the military and by civilians - really hard to get through.
October 13, 2023
3.5
Lots of description of the what and not enough exploration of the why
Lots of description of the what and not enough exploration of the why
October 22, 2025
first half is the development and invention of the gun. interesting, informative and surprisingly dramatic, 4/5.
second half is in-depth accounting of damn near every mass shooting since 1990. bummer, scary. 1/5 and i’m now currently leaning towards an assault weapon ban
second half is in-depth accounting of damn near every mass shooting since 1990. bummer, scary. 1/5 and i’m now currently leaning towards an assault weapon ban
July 20, 2024
The first half of the book depicts the origins and early history of the AR-15. The second half details its rise from military weapon to niche civilian weapon to emperor of all guns.
The early history is straightforward and generally pretty interesting. More just the facts of how Eugene Stoner sought to create a weapon for the military to help American and allied troops better compete in armed conflicts. Despite my knowledge of its recent history as a tool for mass murderers I found myself rooting for Stoner as he faced obstacles along the way. After all, his intentions were pure: how to give our military an edge.
Some of the later history about the challenges of getting the military to adopt the AR-15 as its weapon of choice and the dire consequences of its tinkering with its parts and ammunition were okay but I was very ready to move ahead at this point.
I found the second half of the book more interesting. These are the chapters that tell the story of how the AR-15 slowly worked its way into civilian hands and gained increasing popularity. Here's where I learned how some gun control laws are useless and counterproductive and which measures are more effective in slowing down a shooter bent on inflicting maximum harm. It's all very sobering.
Included in the later chapters are the stories of mass killings in America (seems we have almost exclusive claim to this disgraceful event). It's all very sad but written tactfully.
And no book about the AR-15 would be complete if it didn't explore both sides of the gun control argument. Some AR-15 owners are portrayed as decent and sensible people and others come across as sexist trolls whose entire existence seems to revolve around owning the libs (see later highlights). (At this point I want to point out that the authors tend to divide the American populace between liberals and conservatives for the sake of talking about guns. I'm not sure what the word 'conservative' means in 2024 but I think it has a much different meaning than it had in 2014.)(I've always considered myself a moderate but maybe I'm giving myself too much credit. Or maybe not enough.)
The stories of the mass killings won't reveal any new information but they may serve as a reminder of their frequency and magnitude. Sadly, a book on this topic could be updated monthly.
And much thanks to GR friend Aaron M. for recommending this particular podcast to me in the comments below: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/15/119797... It's an excellent complement to the AR-15 discussion and well worth the time to listen.
Grim subject but I want to add a few books I'd recommend that deal with the subject from different angles very effectively: Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives and Victim: The Other Side of Murder
The early history is straightforward and generally pretty interesting. More just the facts of how Eugene Stoner sought to create a weapon for the military to help American and allied troops better compete in armed conflicts. Despite my knowledge of its recent history as a tool for mass murderers I found myself rooting for Stoner as he faced obstacles along the way. After all, his intentions were pure: how to give our military an edge.
Some of the later history about the challenges of getting the military to adopt the AR-15 as its weapon of choice and the dire consequences of its tinkering with its parts and ammunition were okay but I was very ready to move ahead at this point.
I found the second half of the book more interesting. These are the chapters that tell the story of how the AR-15 slowly worked its way into civilian hands and gained increasing popularity. Here's where I learned how some gun control laws are useless and counterproductive and which measures are more effective in slowing down a shooter bent on inflicting maximum harm. It's all very sobering.
Included in the later chapters are the stories of mass killings in America (seems we have almost exclusive claim to this disgraceful event). It's all very sad but written tactfully.
And no book about the AR-15 would be complete if it didn't explore both sides of the gun control argument. Some AR-15 owners are portrayed as decent and sensible people and others come across as sexist trolls whose entire existence seems to revolve around owning the libs (see later highlights). (At this point I want to point out that the authors tend to divide the American populace between liberals and conservatives for the sake of talking about guns. I'm not sure what the word 'conservative' means in 2024 but I think it has a much different meaning than it had in 2014.)(I've always considered myself a moderate but maybe I'm giving myself too much credit. Or maybe not enough.)
The stories of the mass killings won't reveal any new information but they may serve as a reminder of their frequency and magnitude. Sadly, a book on this topic could be updated monthly.
And much thanks to GR friend Aaron M. for recommending this particular podcast to me in the comments below: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/15/119797... It's an excellent complement to the AR-15 discussion and well worth the time to listen.
Grim subject but I want to add a few books I'd recommend that deal with the subject from different angles very effectively: Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives and Victim: The Other Side of Murder
October 29, 2023
There are no words for how completely devastating this is.
July 31, 2024
I would give this 4.5 stars. The first third of the book was very technical, which I thought was a bit boring. However, learning about the history and development of the AR-15 made the rest of the book much more accessible. I have a lot of thoughts about gun control. I don't think this book changed my opinion, but it surely reinforced how I feel. Also, this book reminded me of when my dad gave me a life-time NRA membership for my birthday.
May 27, 2024
I was scared that this book was going to be very one-sided however, I am relieved to report that it's fairly balanced, and more historical than pushing a particular agenda.
October 15, 2023
I did not know that the creator of the M16 was a Marine who served as an aviation ordnance man. Eugene Stoner was an inveterate tinkerer. Nor did I know of the bureaucratic battles in the Army over the M14 vs Stoner’s new weapon. I had a M14 in high school for JROTC. It was heavy. It was a monument to mediocrity. We only had them because the Army didn’t need them. A complete waste of money.
Nor did I know that the famous battle of the Ia Drang Valley led to the adoption of the M16 as the service rifle for the Army and Marines. Lots of connect the dot moments in this well written history of a weapon that is destroying this country. It was created to kill Communists. Good discussion on the ban of assault weapons from 1994-2004. It was an abject failure. Production and sales increased! Only when a Democrat is president do gun sales soar. More fear based purchasing. An eye opening account. This rifle is here to stay thanks to the NRA.
Nor did I know that the famous battle of the Ia Drang Valley led to the adoption of the M16 as the service rifle for the Army and Marines. Lots of connect the dot moments in this well written history of a weapon that is destroying this country. It was created to kill Communists. Good discussion on the ban of assault weapons from 1994-2004. It was an abject failure. Production and sales increased! Only when a Democrat is president do gun sales soar. More fear based purchasing. An eye opening account. This rifle is here to stay thanks to the NRA.
March 29, 2025
The first half of the book tells the history of Eugene Stoner's AR-15 rifle. The second half of the book examines the ways the AR-15 gets used in American society and its larger impact. The story of how the constant tinkerer Stoner built a better rifle for the military is interesting and engaging. I favor gun control, but always find the history of a technology engrossing. Stoner gave the military a more sophisticated tool to kill the enemy more efficiently. Some readers, I noticed, stop reading after the first half.
This is a shame because the second half is as factual as the first. How does Stoner's invention impact modern America? The authors recount the history of the Bush ban on assault weapons, its expiration, and the subsequent marketing of the weapon to American gun buyers. (By the way, do you have your man card and are you a real man? Read chapter 22. Women may find the chapter of interest also.) The book closes with the story of a victim of the 2015 San Bernardino attack, Valerie Kallis-Weber. The story of her medical fight back from the wounds to her body and mind is inspiring.
America needs to consider what a sane gun policy would look like.
The book closes with the observations of the collaborators with Stoner. Robert Bihun, creator of ARES with Stoner, "For Christ's sake, I don't think Gene ever wanted civilian use of this rifle." The last quote of the book comes from Jim Sullivan, "Every gun designer has a responsibility to... think about what the hell they're creating."
This is a shame because the second half is as factual as the first. How does Stoner's invention impact modern America? The authors recount the history of the Bush ban on assault weapons, its expiration, and the subsequent marketing of the weapon to American gun buyers. (By the way, do you have your man card and are you a real man? Read chapter 22. Women may find the chapter of interest also.) The book closes with the story of a victim of the 2015 San Bernardino attack, Valerie Kallis-Weber. The story of her medical fight back from the wounds to her body and mind is inspiring.
America needs to consider what a sane gun policy would look like.
The book closes with the observations of the collaborators with Stoner. Robert Bihun, creator of ARES with Stoner, "For Christ's sake, I don't think Gene ever wanted civilian use of this rifle." The last quote of the book comes from Jim Sullivan, "Every gun designer has a responsibility to... think about what the hell they're creating."
August 22, 2023
This book should be a companion to Paul Barrett's book about the Glock in America. It is essential to know what the differences are between both these books but more importantly the guns and the culture that they represent. The Glock basically entered culture in a pragmatic way for all users involved, which spun up its culture and celebration of the gun.
Just like the Glock, the guns purpose initial usage and ability defined how it is treated on both the supporter and the opponent. The gun itself is so powerful and steeped in a non-civilian culture, that the The usage of the gun is not something that can be gradually experienced or be eased into society. A handgun which was used by all sides for all sorts of purposes, would naturally have a softer entrance into the culture. The AR-15 is just too powerful to have a nominal or quiet introduction. Especially when you consider the civilian use cases of it like various shootings, The issue of the AR-15 is actually an issue of talismanic culture.
I sped red this book because it was from the library, but I really hope to get a copy for myself and reread it slowly.
Everyone regardless of their opinion of the gun should read this book because the principles of the debate around this gun are actually facets of American ideologies anxieties and human approaches to deadly power. You still need to know and learn from this book about the origin of the gun because the origin is so important to where we are today and what the symbolism of such a gun is.
Just like the Glock, the guns purpose initial usage and ability defined how it is treated on both the supporter and the opponent. The gun itself is so powerful and steeped in a non-civilian culture, that the The usage of the gun is not something that can be gradually experienced or be eased into society. A handgun which was used by all sides for all sorts of purposes, would naturally have a softer entrance into the culture. The AR-15 is just too powerful to have a nominal or quiet introduction. Especially when you consider the civilian use cases of it like various shootings, The issue of the AR-15 is actually an issue of talismanic culture.
I sped red this book because it was from the library, but I really hope to get a copy for myself and reread it slowly.
Everyone regardless of their opinion of the gun should read this book because the principles of the debate around this gun are actually facets of American ideologies anxieties and human approaches to deadly power. You still need to know and learn from this book about the origin of the gun because the origin is so important to where we are today and what the symbolism of such a gun is.
August 27, 2023
American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15 is precisely what it is titled - the history of the AR-15. The book is in two parts. The first follows the creation of the AR-15 by Eugene Stoner, and his attempt to get it used by American soldiers in Vietnam. This section is a fairly standard nonfiction book, and while it is interesting, it got a bit dry at times. The second, however, is where this book truly shines.
The second section of this book follows the usage of AR-15s by civilians, and the laws made (or not made) to restrict its use. This is the section where content warnings are absolutely needed, as it discusses mass shootings in great detail (though I would argue without being overly grotesque). McWhirter and Elinson do a great job of tackling such a difficult topic - both emotionally and politically. The book is written in a way that lays out the facts involved, without feeling like you're being pandered to in either direction.
This book is very powerful, and will stick with me for a long time. The chapter about the massacre at Sandy Hook absolutely wrecked me - particularly as the authors write about the horrific damage that was done and the absolute lack of inaction that followed. I will recommend this book, but I will not recommend it lightly.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The second section of this book follows the usage of AR-15s by civilians, and the laws made (or not made) to restrict its use. This is the section where content warnings are absolutely needed, as it discusses mass shootings in great detail (though I would argue without being overly grotesque). McWhirter and Elinson do a great job of tackling such a difficult topic - both emotionally and politically. The book is written in a way that lays out the facts involved, without feeling like you're being pandered to in either direction.
This book is very powerful, and will stick with me for a long time. The chapter about the massacre at Sandy Hook absolutely wrecked me - particularly as the authors write about the horrific damage that was done and the absolute lack of inaction that followed. I will recommend this book, but I will not recommend it lightly.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 27, 2024
I’m between three and four stars on this book, but ended up rounding down. The book is impressive and well-researched, and I would recommend it to someone who wants a primer on mass shootings in America (with a focus on the gun that figures the most prominently in them), but as someone who knows a lot about American mass shootings, I’m not sure that I learned a lot.
I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but it wasn’t this. I found the first 75-100 pages of the book extremely difficult to get through, as I have little to no interest in the technical design of guns. The part about the bureaucratic infighting in the Pentagon about whether to adopt the AR-15 as the Army’s gun, and then how the Army bungled the implementation of the gun and how that played out in Vietnam, were the most interesting parts of the book (and even those could get a little too in-the-weeds).
I expected a lot more from the current history part of the book - it’s mostly a rehashing of the mass shootings we’ve lived through in the US in the last two decades, with little new insight or detail. I appreciated the focus on victims and their stories, and thought the book could have used even more of that, because that’s where it really shone.
I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but it wasn’t this. I found the first 75-100 pages of the book extremely difficult to get through, as I have little to no interest in the technical design of guns. The part about the bureaucratic infighting in the Pentagon about whether to adopt the AR-15 as the Army’s gun, and then how the Army bungled the implementation of the gun and how that played out in Vietnam, were the most interesting parts of the book (and even those could get a little too in-the-weeds).
I expected a lot more from the current history part of the book - it’s mostly a rehashing of the mass shootings we’ve lived through in the US in the last two decades, with little new insight or detail. I appreciated the focus on victims and their stories, and thought the book could have used even more of that, because that’s where it really shone.
February 19, 2024
This is the most well researched book I've read. The story is also the mostly deeply American. The authors provide history, first hand accounts, details without injecting their own thoughts. I was sick to my stomach reading different parts of this book and had trouble sleeping after reading the account of the Aurora shooting, but I'm so glad I read this book.
October 28, 2023
The first half was a lot of history which was helpful and the second half was more of the politics which I loved. Finishing it I was full of just rage and cynicism. We are in the bad place. If a room full of dead first graders at Sandy Hook couldn’t change things, I don’t know what will but we need to keep fighting.
October 27, 2023
Not. One. More.
Gun control NOW!!!!
This was a tough but necessary read.
Gun control NOW!!!!
This was a tough but necessary read.
January 21, 2024
Well researched and compelling, this book tells the story of America’s love/hate relationship with guns. Reading it was an education.
Addendum for Dani, who wants more details: I am so thoroughly not a gun person. Hence the first half of this book, which is about the development of the AR-15 and other similar guns, was eye-opening. I learned what makes a gun a gun, and which features increase lethality. Basically, this type of gun was designed for ease of use for the minimally-trained soldier. That is, accuracy of aim is not the point. Spraying bullets is the point.
It is lighter than other rifles and even though the bullet is small (22 caliber) it has more propellant so it is super fast. When it hits the body the bullet spins and wobbles as it decelerates, thus causing massive injuries. This is all by design.
Trying to ban this type of gun has been a complete failure. Whenever that is being discussed on a national level the sales spike. And gun lobbyists and manufacturers inflame the gun-buying public into thinking that a limit on any kind of gun equates to, “THEY are coming for all of your guns.” So it is a no-win situation.
Since the gun appears to be something issued by the military, it is attractive to those who are fearful and perhaps unsure of their own place in the world.
The second half of the book describes the depressing number of times this type of gun has been used in mass shootings. I needed the first half of the book to understand the second half.
Addendum for Dani, who wants more details: I am so thoroughly not a gun person. Hence the first half of this book, which is about the development of the AR-15 and other similar guns, was eye-opening. I learned what makes a gun a gun, and which features increase lethality. Basically, this type of gun was designed for ease of use for the minimally-trained soldier. That is, accuracy of aim is not the point. Spraying bullets is the point.
It is lighter than other rifles and even though the bullet is small (22 caliber) it has more propellant so it is super fast. When it hits the body the bullet spins and wobbles as it decelerates, thus causing massive injuries. This is all by design.
Trying to ban this type of gun has been a complete failure. Whenever that is being discussed on a national level the sales spike. And gun lobbyists and manufacturers inflame the gun-buying public into thinking that a limit on any kind of gun equates to, “THEY are coming for all of your guns.” So it is a no-win situation.
Since the gun appears to be something issued by the military, it is attractive to those who are fearful and perhaps unsure of their own place in the world.
The second half of the book describes the depressing number of times this type of gun has been used in mass shootings. I needed the first half of the book to understand the second half.
December 6, 2023
Really informative book; provided a lot if info of which I was previously unaware (even having served in the military). I think what really reflects my feelings is the feeling of sadness having finished it. The author(s) talked about numerous mass shootings in the US, most of which I was aware of and had at least a basic understanding of the scenario surrounding the incident. However, there were a a couple that they discussed that I don’t recall at all - and that made me quite sad. Have we as a country become so accustomed to these murderous incidents that they are now routine? Routine to the point that we can’t remember some of them? If Americans are at that point, what hope is there that this problem - this huge problem - will ever be resolved? Sadly, I don’t hold out much hope. I sincerely wish that I am proved wrong.
October 24, 2023
This is a well written and well researched non-fiction book. Eugene Stoner invented the AR-15 for the armed forces. McWhirter and Elinson do a great job laying down the complete history of this weapon, from how it's used in the military, and how it became a symbol of gun culture in America. They talk about the assault weapons ban in the mid '90s, to the explosion of non-stop mass shootings, how the gun lobbies make millions from this weapon ever year, and how the NRA bribes lawmakers from never passing comprehensive gun reform in Congress. I think the saddest part of this book was hearing from the survivors of gun violence. We hear from the survivors of the San Bernadino and Las Vegas mass shootings. We learn how those individuals struggle with PTSD, (flashbacks, nightmares, aversion to loud noises) and with chronic pain on a daily basis. No matter what your political beliefs are, this book was eye-opening and had me tear up many times. Important read.
June 11, 2024
I wanted to read this book to better understand how the US got to this place (mass shootings an "everyday" occurrence) and this book helped me understand that. But it's a lot - a lot of research, a lot of information, a lot of hard stories to read. I hadn't taken into account how emotionally draining it would be to read about the casualties of numerous mass shootings. Knowing next to nothing about guns I found part one particularly interesting and informative. Part two, with its history and timeline of mass shootings, was less new information; though the descriptions on the injuries inflicted were eye-opening. I didn't feel as if the book was heavy-handed in explaining where the ball was dropped in getting us to this point (20+ million AR-15s owned in the US, mass shootings happening regularly), but it was outlined and explained. I feel better informed and prepared to engage in civil discourse about the matter.
March 22, 2025
This book is fascinating and important.
July 12, 2024
Absolutely fascinating
February 19, 2025
Years ago, I attended a chamber of commerce meeting in Bryan County, a small county in southeastern Georgia near Savannah. During the pre-luncheon social time, I noticed a middle-aged man and his platinum-blond wife standing off to themselves. Since, like me, they didn’t seem to know anyone, I struck up a conversation. I soon learned that the man, who could have easily been mistaken for a truck driver or a plumber, was Marty Daniel, the multi-millionaire founder of Daniel Defense, a Bryan County-based firearms manufacturer. Marty was the luncheon’s featured speaker.
Other than his identity, I didn’t learn much about Marty during our brief chat, but he gave a more comprehensive autobiography during his speech. After retiring from the garage door business, Marty took up golf but became bored with the sport. On the advice of a good friend, he traded in his golf clubs for firearms and began spending time at the shooting range. With a degree in engineering and a knack for mechanical devices, Marty began tinkering with his firearms. When he needed a replacement part that he couldn’t find online or in gun stores, he approached various parts manufacturers. They were happy to make the part, but only with a one-hundred order minimum. Marty kept two of the parts and listed the rest for sale online at a healthy markup. They sold out in days, and Marty decided to come out of retirement. After initial success selling gun parts, Daniel Defense began manufacturing and selling high-end AR-15s. His rifles developed a loyal following among firearm enthusiasts willing to pay premium prices for a premium product.
Unfortunately for Marty and Daniel Defense, these enthusiasts include Stephen Paddock, a late middle-aged man who in 2017 killed and injured more people during a Las Vegas country music festival than Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing, and Salvador Ramos, who in 2022 used a Daniel Defense DDM4 V7, for which he paid $2,054.28, to shoot and kill nineteen children and two teachers at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school.
Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson don’t tell the story of Marty Daniel and his firearms company in their book American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15. It’s a surprising omission in a book full of similar tales of gun makers who reaped millions by selling a product that has become a flashpoint in America’s culture wars over gun rights, especially in light of the role Daniel Defense firearms played in two of the country’s most shocking mass-shooter incidents. Maybe they didn’t feel Marty’s story added anything to their book, but I suspect the most likely explanation is that Marty refused to talk to the authors. Even before Uvalde and even in a gun-friendly region like South Georgia, Marty has kept a low profile.
The AR-15 was invented by a man named Eugene Stoner in the 1950s. Stoner’s mission was patriotic. He wanted to create a lightweight yet highly lethal rifle for American soldiers. Experience in World War II and Korea demonstrated that the bulky M1 Garand, then used by the Army, didn’t meet the needs of the 20th-century battlefield. Conventional wisdom in the U.S. military was that soldiers needed a large, high-caliber rifle that was accurate at long ranges, but the data didn’t support that belief. Most soldiers lacked the discipline and marksmanship to pick off targets at long range, and most battles were fought at relatively short ranges with soldiers spraying bullets at the enemy.
Stoner’s innovation was a “gas-powered” rifle that used the energy created by the explosion of the gunpowder to eject the casing and load the next cartridge. He also designed the rifle for smaller caliber ammunition. By using smaller ammunition, soldiers could carry more of it to the battlefield, and, ironically, smaller caliber rounds are more lethal than larger calibers. Large caliber rounds go straight through the body, creating a small, neat wound. Smaller caliber rounds “tumble” when they impact human tissue, creating crater-like wounds.
Stoner sold his patent to the ArmaLite company and became an employee, working to improve the design and land a contract with the U.S. military. Stoner’s rifle went through fourteen iterations before the fifteenth and definitive version, dubbed the AR-15 (AR is an abbreviation for ArmaLite), which is essentially the rifle we know today. However, designing a great product was less of a challenge than selling it to the U.S. military. ArmaLite ran into an entrenched military bureaucracy still married to the idea that their rifle needed to fire large-caliber ammunition that was accurate at long distances. They were also committed to their long-term contractor, Remington Arms, who had already designed a new rifle, the M14.
ArmaLite’s battle with the military bureaucracy took many years and occupies a large section of this book. It’s a sordid example of how military bureaucrats sometimes care less about what’s best for American soldiers and taxpayers and more about what’s best for them. Still, Stoner’s rifle was eventually adopted as the military’s standard rifle, and it played a prominent role in the Vietnam War, where it quickly gained a bad reputation. The Army made modifications to the rifle that weren’t supported by Stoner or the engineers at ArmaLite. They also encountered a supply shortage that prompted them to replace the recommended ammunition with a type that used “ball powder.” This type of gunpowder was dirtier than the recommended ammunition. It fouled the weapon and caused it to jam, leaving soldiers in the thick of a firefight without a working rifle. Because of this, the M16 became one of the most despised weapons in the history of American warfare.
In the 1960s, the rights to the AR-15 were acquired by Colt, who followed a marketing strategy pioneered by the company’s founder, Sam Colt, in the 1800s. The plan was to rely on the martial appeal of a weapon with a military contract to sell the firearm to civilians. It didn’t work. Veterans disillusioned with the M16 weren’t interested in the AR-15, and civilians disillusioned with the Vietnam War weren’t interested in a firearm that symbolized that war. Colt’s efforts to sell the gun to civilians fell flat.
When the patent expired in the 1970s, other gun makers tried the same strategy with varying success. One of these early companies attempted to emphasize the gun’s military pedigree by referring to it as an “assault rifle.” Defenders of gun rights who condemn this term as a mischaracterization should be reminded that it was gun makers and not Washington D.C. liberals who coined the term.
It wasn’t until the 1994 assault weapons ban that the popularity of the AR-15 began to soar. Nothing stokes demand for a product more than telling consumers they can’t have it. The ban, championed by California Senator Dianne Feinstein, was ill-conceived and poorly implemented. Focusing almost entirely on the aesthetics of the firearm rather than its function and firepower, the ban was easily overcome by gun makers who designed products that conformed to the letter, if not the spirit of the law.
The AR-15 experienced another surge in popularity when the assault weapons ban expired in 2004, and gun makers were no longer burdened by even the fig leaf of design restrictions. The rifle was marketed as a “tactical weapon” that, for many customers, became a real-life extension of the weapons used in popular video games. The industry received another shot in the arm the following year with the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that, among other things, shielded gun makers from liability claims associated with their products, such as mass-shooting events.
From there, the authors take the reader on a tour of almost every major mass-shooter incident of the past fifteen years. Earlier incidents, such as Columbine, aren’t significant to this story because, in many cases, the shooters didn’t use AR-15s. The aftermath of these events follows a familiar pattern: hand-wringing, promises of reform, a surge in sales of AR-15s by customers concerned the rifle is on the verge of a ban, and then . . . nothing.
Why has the AR-15 become so popular for mass shooters? As the authors explain, part of it is due to the gun’s lethality. There isn’t a more practical alternative for those wishing to kill a lot of people in a short period. However, many of these shootings have assumed a video game aspect, and the informal rules of video games dictate that players use the same tools.
To their credit, the authors don’t offer a remedy to the problem of mass shootings with AR-15s. Many books, blogs, and political commentary are already devoted to that. They also take a primarily neutral stance on gun control. It isn’t until the final third of the book, as they detail the various mass shooting incidents, that an anti-gun bias begins to show. Although they don’t present it as a significant event, they stumble upon a development that will likely have a considerable impact on future sales of AR-15s. In February 2022, Cerberus’s gun conglomerate agreed to a $73 million settlement with the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. The plaintiff’s attorney, Joshua Koskoff, exploited a loophole for “negligent marketing” in the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to pursue the lawsuit. The families of the Uvalde victims used the same loophole to pursue Daniel Defense in a lawsuit that’s now in its third year. This exposes gun manufacturers to what may become an unacceptable level of liability, making it harder to insure their products. Ultimately, it may be insurance underwriters instead of government legislatures that ban the AR-15.
Other than his identity, I didn’t learn much about Marty during our brief chat, but he gave a more comprehensive autobiography during his speech. After retiring from the garage door business, Marty took up golf but became bored with the sport. On the advice of a good friend, he traded in his golf clubs for firearms and began spending time at the shooting range. With a degree in engineering and a knack for mechanical devices, Marty began tinkering with his firearms. When he needed a replacement part that he couldn’t find online or in gun stores, he approached various parts manufacturers. They were happy to make the part, but only with a one-hundred order minimum. Marty kept two of the parts and listed the rest for sale online at a healthy markup. They sold out in days, and Marty decided to come out of retirement. After initial success selling gun parts, Daniel Defense began manufacturing and selling high-end AR-15s. His rifles developed a loyal following among firearm enthusiasts willing to pay premium prices for a premium product.
Unfortunately for Marty and Daniel Defense, these enthusiasts include Stephen Paddock, a late middle-aged man who in 2017 killed and injured more people during a Las Vegas country music festival than Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing, and Salvador Ramos, who in 2022 used a Daniel Defense DDM4 V7, for which he paid $2,054.28, to shoot and kill nineteen children and two teachers at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school.
Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson don’t tell the story of Marty Daniel and his firearms company in their book American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15. It’s a surprising omission in a book full of similar tales of gun makers who reaped millions by selling a product that has become a flashpoint in America’s culture wars over gun rights, especially in light of the role Daniel Defense firearms played in two of the country’s most shocking mass-shooter incidents. Maybe they didn’t feel Marty’s story added anything to their book, but I suspect the most likely explanation is that Marty refused to talk to the authors. Even before Uvalde and even in a gun-friendly region like South Georgia, Marty has kept a low profile.
The AR-15 was invented by a man named Eugene Stoner in the 1950s. Stoner’s mission was patriotic. He wanted to create a lightweight yet highly lethal rifle for American soldiers. Experience in World War II and Korea demonstrated that the bulky M1 Garand, then used by the Army, didn’t meet the needs of the 20th-century battlefield. Conventional wisdom in the U.S. military was that soldiers needed a large, high-caliber rifle that was accurate at long ranges, but the data didn’t support that belief. Most soldiers lacked the discipline and marksmanship to pick off targets at long range, and most battles were fought at relatively short ranges with soldiers spraying bullets at the enemy.
Stoner’s innovation was a “gas-powered” rifle that used the energy created by the explosion of the gunpowder to eject the casing and load the next cartridge. He also designed the rifle for smaller caliber ammunition. By using smaller ammunition, soldiers could carry more of it to the battlefield, and, ironically, smaller caliber rounds are more lethal than larger calibers. Large caliber rounds go straight through the body, creating a small, neat wound. Smaller caliber rounds “tumble” when they impact human tissue, creating crater-like wounds.
Stoner sold his patent to the ArmaLite company and became an employee, working to improve the design and land a contract with the U.S. military. Stoner’s rifle went through fourteen iterations before the fifteenth and definitive version, dubbed the AR-15 (AR is an abbreviation for ArmaLite), which is essentially the rifle we know today. However, designing a great product was less of a challenge than selling it to the U.S. military. ArmaLite ran into an entrenched military bureaucracy still married to the idea that their rifle needed to fire large-caliber ammunition that was accurate at long distances. They were also committed to their long-term contractor, Remington Arms, who had already designed a new rifle, the M14.
ArmaLite’s battle with the military bureaucracy took many years and occupies a large section of this book. It’s a sordid example of how military bureaucrats sometimes care less about what’s best for American soldiers and taxpayers and more about what’s best for them. Still, Stoner’s rifle was eventually adopted as the military’s standard rifle, and it played a prominent role in the Vietnam War, where it quickly gained a bad reputation. The Army made modifications to the rifle that weren’t supported by Stoner or the engineers at ArmaLite. They also encountered a supply shortage that prompted them to replace the recommended ammunition with a type that used “ball powder.” This type of gunpowder was dirtier than the recommended ammunition. It fouled the weapon and caused it to jam, leaving soldiers in the thick of a firefight without a working rifle. Because of this, the M16 became one of the most despised weapons in the history of American warfare.
In the 1960s, the rights to the AR-15 were acquired by Colt, who followed a marketing strategy pioneered by the company’s founder, Sam Colt, in the 1800s. The plan was to rely on the martial appeal of a weapon with a military contract to sell the firearm to civilians. It didn’t work. Veterans disillusioned with the M16 weren’t interested in the AR-15, and civilians disillusioned with the Vietnam War weren’t interested in a firearm that symbolized that war. Colt’s efforts to sell the gun to civilians fell flat.
When the patent expired in the 1970s, other gun makers tried the same strategy with varying success. One of these early companies attempted to emphasize the gun’s military pedigree by referring to it as an “assault rifle.” Defenders of gun rights who condemn this term as a mischaracterization should be reminded that it was gun makers and not Washington D.C. liberals who coined the term.
It wasn’t until the 1994 assault weapons ban that the popularity of the AR-15 began to soar. Nothing stokes demand for a product more than telling consumers they can’t have it. The ban, championed by California Senator Dianne Feinstein, was ill-conceived and poorly implemented. Focusing almost entirely on the aesthetics of the firearm rather than its function and firepower, the ban was easily overcome by gun makers who designed products that conformed to the letter, if not the spirit of the law.
The AR-15 experienced another surge in popularity when the assault weapons ban expired in 2004, and gun makers were no longer burdened by even the fig leaf of design restrictions. The rifle was marketed as a “tactical weapon” that, for many customers, became a real-life extension of the weapons used in popular video games. The industry received another shot in the arm the following year with the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that, among other things, shielded gun makers from liability claims associated with their products, such as mass-shooting events.
From there, the authors take the reader on a tour of almost every major mass-shooter incident of the past fifteen years. Earlier incidents, such as Columbine, aren’t significant to this story because, in many cases, the shooters didn’t use AR-15s. The aftermath of these events follows a familiar pattern: hand-wringing, promises of reform, a surge in sales of AR-15s by customers concerned the rifle is on the verge of a ban, and then . . . nothing.
Why has the AR-15 become so popular for mass shooters? As the authors explain, part of it is due to the gun’s lethality. There isn’t a more practical alternative for those wishing to kill a lot of people in a short period. However, many of these shootings have assumed a video game aspect, and the informal rules of video games dictate that players use the same tools.
To their credit, the authors don’t offer a remedy to the problem of mass shootings with AR-15s. Many books, blogs, and political commentary are already devoted to that. They also take a primarily neutral stance on gun control. It isn’t until the final third of the book, as they detail the various mass shooting incidents, that an anti-gun bias begins to show. Although they don’t present it as a significant event, they stumble upon a development that will likely have a considerable impact on future sales of AR-15s. In February 2022, Cerberus’s gun conglomerate agreed to a $73 million settlement with the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. The plaintiff’s attorney, Joshua Koskoff, exploited a loophole for “negligent marketing” in the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to pursue the lawsuit. The families of the Uvalde victims used the same loophole to pursue Daniel Defense in a lawsuit that’s now in its third year. This exposes gun manufacturers to what may become an unacceptable level of liability, making it harder to insure their products. Ultimately, it may be insurance underwriters instead of government legislatures that ban the AR-15.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews