The first person outside of ArmaLite, the Southern California company where the AR-15 was invented, to test fire the rifle was famed actor John Wayne. As described in American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15, Wayne just showed up the ArmaLite’s offices one day in the 1950s after reading a blurb about the gun in a news report.
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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
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