Lethal Passage: The Story of a Gun.

• Author: Young, Elizabeth B.
• Position: Book review

Lethal Passage: The Story of a Gun

By Erik Larson

Published by Crown in 1994, Lethal Passage is equally one of the most fascinating and terrifying books I have ever read. As the title indicates, Larson follows a specific gun, a Cobray M-11/9, from manufacture to its penultimate ending point, in the hands of 16-year-old Nicholas Elliot who took it to school for a shooting spree that resulted in the death of one teacher and the serious injury of another.

Through the gun's journey, Larson takes a hard look into the "gun problem" that exists in this country. The most shocking part about this book is that it was written over 20 years ago and, despite the stark realities he presents, if anything, things have only gotten worse.

Nicholas' gun of choice, the Cobray, is a dangerously-made gun that is good for nothing. Experts espouse that it is too clumsy for target practice and unfit for hunting. But it is black, ugly, and heavy--a Darth Vader among guns--and became a favorite of the criminal element because of its looks and a curious marketing campaign pitching it as "the gun that made the 80s roar."

How Nicholas got the gun; who went to prison because of the transaction; and how the law treats dealers more leniently than individuals are all part of what makes this book so incredible.

Larson posits that getting a federal firearms license should be at least as hard as getting a driver's license. When Larson wrote the book in 1993, all that was required to get the license was a brief application and $30 fee. Now, in 2016, the price has gone up to a whopping $200 and you can indicate that you intend to sell your firearms from your "single family dwelling...