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AMERICAN GUN
The True Story of the AR-15
“[A] magisterial work of narrative history and original reportage."
—The New York Times Book Review
“A riveting exploration of the cost of the nation’s fascination with an iconic weapon.”
— Kirkus starred review
“[R]iveting history....This book is not to be missed." —Esquire
“An indispensable read.”—THe Guardian
American Gun Blog
Feb 24, 2024
Ex-NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre ordered to Pay More Than $4 Million Back to Gun-Rights Group
It's a stunning downfall for LaPierre, 74 years old, who helmed the powerful National Rifle Association for decades. In the New York...
Feb 20, 2024
American Gun authors on "Burned By Books" podcast
Chris Holmes, chair of the English department at Ithaca College and host of the popular "Burned By Books" podcast, had Zusha Elinson and...
Feb 5, 2024
KpCW, public radio in Utah, interviews McWhirter about American Gun
Thanks to Doug Wells and Roger Goldman, hosts of KPCW's "Mountain Money" in Utah, for interviewing McWhirter about American Gun: The True...
Jan 23, 2024
McWhirter interview on TFTC Podcast about American Gun
Thanks to Bob Nebel, host of the Atlanta-based "Tales from The Corners" podcast, for speaking with Cameron McWhirter about American Gun:...
Jan 19, 2024
DOJ report on Uvalde shooting documents a "cascade of failures"
The U.S. Justice Department report on the Uvalde shooting documented a host of failures by local law enforcement and others to the...
Jan 13, 2024
Feds to seek death penalty for racist Buffalo shooter who used AR-15
The U.S. Justice Department is seeking the death penalty against a white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket...
Jan 4, 2024
McWhirter talks about American Gun and the AR-15 on "America Trends" Podcast
Larry Rifkin, host of the long-running "America Trends" podcast, spoke at length with Cameron McWhirter, co-author of American Gun: The...
Dec 27, 2023
Prague Shooter used an AR-10 rifle, similar to the AR-15
The gunman who committed the mass shooting at Prague’s Charles University used an AR-style rifle — the second mass shooting in Europe...
Dec 12, 2023
Mass-Shooting survivor Valerie Kallis-Weber speaks to Cleveland radio Host Jimmy Malone
Valerie Kallis-Weber, who survived the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, now lives in the Cleveland area, where she grew...
Nov 16, 2023
Washington Post picks American Gun for its list of best nonfiction of 2023
The Washington Post has chosen American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15 as one of the most notable nonfiction books of 2023. Editors and...
Nov 16, 2023
McWhirter talks American Gun on C-SPAN BookTV panel at Texas Book Festival
Cameron McWhirter spoke at the Texas Book Festival on a panel with author/journalist Jeff Sharlet and Texas Tribune Editor-in-Chief...
Nov 10, 2023
C-SPAN creates American Gun educational material
McWhirter and Elison spoke with author Paul Barrett on C-SPAN's BookTV about American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15. You can watch it...
Nov 1, 2023
Lewiston Shooter used an Ar-10 rifle, similar to the AR-15 and also invented by Eugene Stoner
The perpetrator of the horrific mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, does not appear to have used an AR-15 in his attacks, but instead an...
Nov 1, 2023
Guardian interviews McWhirter + Elinson about American Gun
Abené Clayton interviewed Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson, authors of American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15, about the gun and...
Nov 1, 2023
McWhirter Interviewed about American Gun by Jimmy Malone on iHeart Media Cleveland
Cameron McWhirter, co-author of American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15, spoke with well-known Cleveland personality Jimmy Malone on...
Oct 27, 2023
"Skipped History" Podcast talks with McWhirter + Elinson about American Gun
Thanks to Ben Tumin, host of the excellent podcast "Skipped History" (See recent NYTimes profile) for having McWhirter and Elinson on to...
Oct 20, 2023
Terrorist in Belgium had an AR-15 and handguns
The Islamic terrorist who killed two Swedish people and wounded a third during a soccer match in Brussels on Oct. 16 was in possession of...
Oct 15, 2023
American Gun discussed on C-Span's BookTV
Historian/author Paul Barrett sat down with McWhirter and Elinson for C-Span's BookTV to talk about American Gun: The History of the...
Oct 5, 2023
Apple News podcast talks with McWhirter and Elinson about American Gun
On the "Apple News In Conversation" podcast, host Shumita Basu sat down in a New York studio to talk with Cameron McWhirter and Zusha...
Sep 27, 2023
The Atlantic publishes an essay adapted from American Gun
The Atlantic published "The Creator of the AR-15 Didn’t See This Coming," an essay by Elinson and McWhirter adapted from American Gun:...
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