• Lethal Passage

  • The Story of a Gun
  • By: Erik Larson
  • Narrated by: Richard Poe
  • Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (112 ratings)

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Lethal Passage  By  cover art

Lethal Passage

By: Erik Larson
Narrated by: Richard Poe
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Publisher's summary

This devastating book illuminates America's gun culture - its manufacturers, dealers, buffs, and propagandists - but also offers concrete solutions to our national epidemic of death by firearm. It begins with an account of a crime that is by now almost commonplace: on December 16, 1988, 16-year-old Nicholas Elliot walked into his Virginia high school with a Cobray M-11/9 and several hundred rounds of ammunition tucked in his backpack. By day's end, he had killed one teacher and severely wounded another.

In Lethal Passage Erik Larson shows us how a disturbed teenager was able to buy a weapon advertised as "the gun that made the 80s roar." The result is a book that can - and should - save lives, and that has already become an essential text in the gun-control debate.

©1994, 1995, 2011 Erik Larson (P)2019 Recorded Books

What listeners say about Lethal Passage

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The right to life & liberty vs guns obsession

I wish that Constitutionally defined Rights to Life and Liberty were defended in America as strongly as the right to own and carry guns.

I agree with Erik Larson on unified code across all states for guns purchases, but at the same time I would emphasize the need for harsh punishment for all those people who help minors obtain guns, which are later used in mass shootings ... That includes Robyn Anderson who has purchased three guns for Columbines yet the authorities didn’t press any charges against her, something that in my opinion is a travesty ...

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I grew up with John Wayne and never knew

I loved John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Matt Dillon. Grew up in Texas, heart of the west and never knew all this. A must read if you are against gun sanctions. This is a game changer.

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  • JH
  • 03-30-22

Gun owner here

More pertinent now than when written. Good information and lots of history that gun owners need to know. Read and think about where we are today!

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great reasoned book

this is a very important subject to me. I was the first one shot on the ground in the 1966 Massacre at the University of Texas, Austin. I was 8 months pregnant and lost my unborn child and my beloved Tom.

Larson is very measured and fair and thorough.

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22 people found this helpful

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Survivor of gun violence

My sister-in-law was killed in a mass shooting at her medical office. Now you’re not safe visiting the doctor. Her loss has caused so
much suffering. Thank you for this book & all of its ideas as our family tries to make change.

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Very relevant book

Older read regarding the story of guns, mass shootings, and gun laws, but still very relevant. Written in the early 90’s, I would love to hear Larson reflect on the state of gun laws today.

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Must read/listen after Uvalde, Sandy Hook ... etc.

I didn't know what I was getting into when I started Lethal Passage but I literally started listening, quite by accident, the day of the mass elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas. This book traces the real problem of gun sales and violence in this country and offers viable "solutions" that truly make sense. But it is much more than that. It is a gripping account of how the gun trade works using the narrative of following one gun and its harrowing consequences. Whatever side of the fence you are on regarding guns this is a fascinating read and the audio gets its hooks into you and compels you to deeply think about what solutions there could be ....

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Lethal Passage-Larson’s research is unparalleled!

Though published in 1994, it might as well have been yesterday. A gun is not what the general population of America understands. Larson goes deep into the perception of our Gun culture, not so much as ‘Anti-Gun’ but as an intelligent indicator of gross negligence in all aspects of the gun.

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great information...needs to be updated

great to learn so much about the gun industry. it would be worth updating this since there have been so many mass shootings since 1994.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

well researched

informative, balanced, well researched! great book! I recommend this to anyone trying to survive in modern society.

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