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Guns (Kindle Single) Kindle Edition
King's earnings from the sale of this essay will go the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
STEPHEN KING is the author of 11/22/63, Under the Dome, Carrie, The Shining and many other bestselling works.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 25, 2013
- File size105 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B00B53IW9W
- Publisher : Philtrum Press
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : January 25, 2013
- Language : English
- File size : 105 KB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 31 pages
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: #58,480 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1 in Kindle Nonfiction Singles
- #242 in Kindle Singles
- #4,104 in Nonfiction (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes NEVER FLINCH, YOU LIKE IT DARKER (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), HOLLY (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), FAIRY TALE, BILLY SUMMERS, IF IT BLEEDS, THE INSTITUTE, ELEVATION, THE OUTSIDER, SLEEPING BEAUTIES (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: END OF WATCH, FINDERS KEEPERS, and MR. MERCEDES (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by the New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works THE DARK TOWER, IT, PET SEMATARY, DOCTOR SLEEP, and FIRESTARTER are the basis for major motion pictures, with IT now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this essay thought-provoking and well-reasoned, with excellent prose and good humor throughout. Moreover, the writing is straightforward and concise, making it an easy quick read. Additionally, they appreciate its approach to gun control, presenting a well-reasoned perspective on gun violence without common anti-gun rhetoric.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book thought-provoking and well-reasoned, helping them understand various points of view.
"...state of political discourse in our country that this short but powerful essay by noted author Stephen King will go unread by a significant segment..." Read more
"...Bringing a down-to-earth, common sense approach to a topic riddled with deep emotions, King leads the reader to a conclusion hard to disagree with...." Read more
"...I consider Steven King to be an incredibly, brilliant and fascinating writer (and even a passably good philosopher)...." Read more
"...This is sort of interesting, but he doesn't seem to understand that it undercuts his argument in a way, since, in three of those four cases, the..." Read more
Customers find the essay highly readable, praising its excellent prose and well-thought-out content, with several noting it's a must-read.
"...Worth the .99 cents because it's a better read than most rants. You don't have to agree with a piece of writing to enjoy reading it...." Read more
"...They are already doing it with great success in many places worldwide, including America...." Read more
"...never read one but two of his non-fiction works are exemplary; this being great...." Read more
"...I consider Steven King to be an incredibly, brilliant and fascinating writer (and even a passably good philosopher)...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as intelligently and well thought out, with one customer noting its passionate delivery.
"...cleanly and without as much fuss as possible, it's a brilliant piece of editorial. Highly recommend it." Read more
"...Bringing a down-to-earth, common sense approach to a topic riddled with deep emotions, King leads the reader to a conclusion hard to disagree with...." Read more
"...It was, of course, just as excellent. Not only is it written well, Mr. King shows both sides of the gun problem..." Read more
"...He lays out the problem very well, and in quite an entertaining way: That we only discuss the gun issue when a mass shooting happens, predictably..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's approach to gun control, describing it as an excellent essay that provides a well-reasoned perspective on gun violence.
"...It's not about Taking away everyone's guns. It's about setting safety regulations so the good guys can have their guns but the bad guys have to jump..." Read more
"...his essay he espouses a remarkably responsible and well-reasoned perspective on gun violence, American culture, and ways to make the situation better..." Read more
"...He does a good job at refuting the culture of violence argument and makes it entertaining to boot...." Read more
"...It's both well written, very well thought out. It's not a tirade against owning guns, nor does it attack the left or the NRA...." Read more
Customers find the book worth the price.
"...I had no idea what I was getting when I bought this, but wow. SO WORTH the 99 cents and more...." Read more
"...You can read this Kindle Single in one sitting, and the price is right...." Read more
"...Which is a real shame, because what's here is reasonable, approachable...and extreme in its bias." Read more
"...to this well-thought out essay, which I thought was well worth the small amount of money I paid for it...." Read more
Customers enjoy the humor in the book, particularly noting the good humor throughout the essay, with one customer highlighting Steve King's unique blunt conversational style.
"...On the other hand, his writing style makes it an entertaining read and a quick one, and he does add a few interesting observations...." Read more
"...His dark humor helped keep my attention to material that can seem a bit dry when written by a less deft hand...." Read more
"...But as far as the story, I enjoyed the humor as well as the seriousness. I am glad that I read this to see what Stephen thinks about politics...." Read more
"...King's spare, sometimes crude, no-nonsense style suits his subject. He refers to similar gun violence and finds much to link the shooters...." Read more
Customers enjoy the fiction in this book, appreciating its gritty narratives and the author's ability to be firmly rooted in the real world.
"...I enjoyed it for what it was....fiction. I understand why Mr. King pulled it from the market but I just wanted to put my 2 cents worth in...." Read more
"...That makes for captivating fiction, but when applied to real life... it is a rare treat indeed in today's world...." Read more
"...Love your fiction and will keep reading them but don't write about things you know nothing about." Read more
"...Rage' is a compelling story, but its events are all too familiar to those of us living with the tragedies of Columbine and Sandy Hook, and he points..." Read more
Customers find the book straightforward and very concise, with sensible steps that make it an easy quick read.
"...himself, King makes a powerful, lucid argument for some very sensible steps to try -- try -- to curb the rising toll of gun violence in America:..." Read more
"...other hand, his writing style makes it an entertaining read and a quick one, and he does add a few interesting observations...." Read more
"...Which is a real shame, because what's here is reasonable, approachable...and extreme in its bias." Read more
"This is an eloquently written essay which took me only 20 minutes to read...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2013I BOUGHT this book, several times - once for me, the others for friends of mine who are writers, gun owners and just plain old fans of great essays.
I'm also a former journalist - 23 years, and currently a full-time ghost writer, and a former cop and gun owner. I'm also a life-long Stephen King fan. I had no idea what I was getting when I bought this, but wow. SO WORTH the 99 cents and more. So, I've seen the cop's side, the reporter's side and when I was shot at in a parking lot covering a story, I was the "victim's side." Think Groundhog Day, the movie. The only thing that changes are the names of the victims. It's horrifically devastating to the families -- but in a detached, by-stander mode as King approaches...it's right on accurate.
First:
King absolutely NAILS the progression from shooting to media side note to moving on. The only thing he didn't include was that once a shooting is relegated to a side note behind the YouTube video of the day was that the newsroom adds the clips and info to their "prior shooting" archives to trot out ad nauseam to fill in the news holes between the "A-team's" arrival on scene, and the interns who are still trying to figure out how to file a story at all. He also probably doesn't realize how much shootings are kind of a relief (don't hate ME, it's true) because there's no real reporting involved at all...just a lot of microphone or tape recorder shoving and asking "How did you feel? What did you think? What did you do? What are you going to do now."
Second:
King talks about his book "Rage," which he describes as NOT causing school shootings, but as being an accelerant to fire bugs. His books "didn't break" anyone, but they spoke to boys already broken. Like King, I'm sad he pulled Rage because books that speak to the broken who cannot be fixed, also speak to the broken who are looking for a reason to heal. King will never know how many boys read RAGE and thought, "I'm not the only one who feels this way. I don't have to do anything to get attention because this is not the attention I want...." and who then turned their lives around. I doubt RAGE turned as many broken boys into shooters as the numerous video-games and R rated movies and 4-to-8 hours a DAY of television, movies and vampires and violence kids see every day. But we can agree to disagree on that. To think that one's writing (I am a writer - See my TED Global video) can influence a person is humbling. I only wish King thought about republishing RAGE with an epilogue. Better than simply pulling it.
Third:
In reference to King's description of major shooting scenes, not the police tape and stoic police images viewers really get, unless a photographer with a telephoto manages to get on scene during the action. My first major shooting scene was a suicide. I was an ambulance volunteer. The victim put a shotgun under the soft fleshy triangle above what was once the juncture between his adam's apple and the basement of his lower jaw and pulled the trigger. His last thoughts and brain matter covered three of four walls, his bedding and the collection of paperbacks on the headboard behind him. The public would go insane to see what multiple shots to a 6-year old body do...mostly there's not really much left. But then you'd have to address war and understand PTSD in veterans.
Fourth:
King's understanding of the arguments and the gun debate are as lacking as most of America, but infinitely more entertaining to read. Like most blue-state debaters he honestly thinks the gun debate is about self-defense against bath-salt and meth/crack head fueled home invaders. He obviously didn't take time to actually READ the second amendment, but I'm sure he was busy with another novel where he continues to kill off innocent people and spew blood and guts and horror for the entertainment of thousands who wouldn't actually pull a trigger, but who enjoy gore and violence none-the-less. If he really was opposed to violence he wouldn't be writing about and making a fortune on people killing people "in the land of make-believe.
He supports back-ground checks, as do I and most responsible gun owners, but fails to point out that the majority of shootings involve people who would not pass a check stealing or borrowing the guns they need to commit their crimes. Better to enforce a mandatory gun safe law.
He fails to acknowledge the role pharmaceuticals, military intelligence and other more common indicators play in these shootings. 90+ percent of shooters are on, or are coming off anti-psychotic medication when driven to violence. Where's the role of big pharma? C'mon Stephen...
King says that 80 people die of gunshot wounds every day in the USA. He neglects to mention that 500 rapes and 100,000 homicides are PREVENTED everyday because someone simply pulls and shows a gun to a would-be attacker. If you want to quote statistics, how many people are killed in car accidents every day, yet no one wants to ban automobiles.
Life is not safe. Pulling his book RAGE isn't really the act of a "good guy." After four people are moved to commit violence after reading it, and the book is found in their possession, that's the move of an author who sees litigation on his literary horizon and doesn't need a jury reviewing a lifetime of his murderous, violent stories trotted out for review on FOX News.
Mark Chapman was reading "Catcher in the Rye," when the police arrested him. Was that book pulled? King's fascination with violence parallels Salinger's. Indeed, American culture is submersed in violence and a fascination with it.
SUMMARY:
While I love King's writing, although was disappointed when he went from subtle, brilliant plot turns and twists to simply cursing, blood and violence, I have to say this is a wonderfully delightful essay to read. It contains the usual lapses and lingering faults and one-sided rants of most liberals, but it's fun to read. Like most of those opposed to guns, King doesn't seem to grasp the constitutional imperative of Americans who need guns to defend themselves against a tyrannical GOVERNMENT, not the nutjob down the street.
Worth the .99 cents because it's a better read than most rants. You don't have to agree with a piece of writing to enjoy reading it. Because King manages to deftly weave his story telling into the essay -- creating a fantasy sure to resonate with like minded liberals who desperately want to ensure the government is free to destroy the American people as quickly, cleanly and without as much fuss as possible, it's a brilliant piece of editorial. Highly recommend it.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2013First, let me state that I am to the right of middle, so in Mr. King's opinion, there is a lot of open territory for reasoned arguments. Next, I am former military, I claim the Military Police as my home regiment, and I was married to a police officer for many years. Further, I am a Caucasian woman, over 50, and I possess a Doctorate degree in business. Finally, I will state that I am one the alarmists that would give about 2% credence to the notion that the government could arm the military (AKA National Guard, the National Reserve Components, and the main Active components) and take over its citizens. I would hope that the members of the US military would understand the morality of the rules of engagement in turning on its citizenry and depose any type of leadership that would sanction turning on its citizenry.
I don't really quite see anything sinister such as this happening. I do take umbrage with Mr. King about the notion that Germany's gun laws were about what they are in the US when Hitler took over. I think this is a bit alarmist on his part. Hitler took over and found a group of citizens to target. He was able to focus on that group and garner support largely because of the economic downturn (idle hands are the devils work) and blaming the Jewish population for being greedy and not sharing the wealth. I don't see the current installment of the US government turning on any group in particular. Although, someone might point out that Caucasians and Christians are being targeted for all that's wrong in the US, I am not quite convinced, but there are some anecdotal evidence, from time to time, that might convince me . Therefore, I will argue against the idea that our gun laws will arm citizens against their own.
Regarding the drop in violence in Australia after banning sales of semi automatics, there may be something to that. Booyah for the Aussies. I think that after all my military time where the only thing I carried as a side arm had anywhere from six to ten rounds to kill bad guys with (and most police officers have this amount as well) that I can live with a magazine size limit. As a citizen who is a bit right of middle, I support background checks. Being the alarmist, allowing for background checks in no way implies that I'd want the government showing up at my door saying hand over your weapons if there is a government take over! I surely would not sanction the local newspaper publishing my name as a weapon owner as though I were a criminal! For parents who say that this is a good idea, maybe instead of being so distracted with work and other things, those same parents could possibly check out their kids friends and families more closely. Heaven forbid mom and dad should engage in personal responsibility for their children.
As to the idea of supporting mental health, that's just lunacy, at least at the national level. In a nation where alcoholics, drug addicts, food addicts, bi-polar, depressed people consistently live, Mr. King knows that the only to get to the "normal" people in this country is one by one, one step at a time. Mental health concerns in this area should be funded at least at the state level with block grants.
One thing that bothers me about this debate overall is the lack of discussion about home gun safety. If the people involved in these mass killings had not had access to weapons at home then these incidents, with the exception of the young man who purchased the weapon because he was 18, may not occur. This nation in general lacks personal responsibility as seen by how litigious our society has become. When someone sues McDonald's because the coffee is so hot it burns when it spills, that is just ludicrous and an argument for another time. I am glad to see that Mr. King did not argue that his book "Rage" made someone kill others. He engaged in personal responsibility by asking that publication cease, although I think one CAN make the argument that the killings would have happened, but that the killers would have quoted some other unfortunate author. Stephen King was my favorite author in my late teens and early twenties. I did not read the Bachman books as I'd not given it much thought prior to now--today I did order a used copy of the Bachman books for my permanent print library.
In the end, I agree, semi-automatics and large capacity magazines are for ego-maniacs and killing. There is no irony on my part, that after having handled fully automatic weapons for over 20 years, I'd prefer an Uzi, an M16, a Desert Eagle and despite jamming issues, my old reliable M60 machine gun under my bed, not for self-defense, but for the sheer knowledge of looking like Sarah Connor (Terminator Franchise)--and that is not a reasonable argument at all. What I do have is a plain and simple revolver that is safely away from others. I also have an alarm system that seems to make more sense then shooting bad guys and then running the risk of having my own weapon turned on me. The local PD may not get here soon enough, but I may be able to get out unscathed.
Good Job Mr. King, thank your for your thoughtfulness on this.
Top reviews from other countries
- JennyCReviewed in Canada on February 17, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Enjoyable
King presents a succinct and logical case in this essay. He writes in a way that allows everyone to understand the issue, without over-simplifying it. He cuts through the crap and gets straight to the heart of the problem, and his perspective on American culture and politics is both accurate and humorous. He doesn't overwhelm his readers with complicated statistics but presents his evidence in a very logical and entertaining way. His stance is not extreme in either direction and I think that makes it very relatable. All in all I think everyone would benefit from reading his thoughts on this important issue.
-
IleniaReviewed in Italy on August 12, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Non me lo aspettavo!
Davvero non mi aspettavo una presa di posizione così importante che, narrata con la sua solita verve, acquista ancor più "crudità". Fa davvero riflettere...
-
pharedebaleineReviewed in Japan on January 29, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars スラスラ読める
アメリカの銃による犯罪についてのキングの視点。
英語初心者にとって彼の小説は原書で読むにはハードルが高いのですが、これはスラスラ読めますし、
なにより面白いです。とにかく説教臭くないのがいい。
英語の勉強にもピッタリ。
- John MiltonReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely worthy of your time and money
This short essay popped up as a recommended read from Amazon and after seeing that it was in fact a short essay by bestselling author and Master of Horror Stephen King, it's fair to say that my curiosity was piqued.
At 99p and with all of King's earnings from the sale of this ebook going to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, I certainly didn't have much to lose.
In this powerful and thoughtful piece, King attacks the conservative right's attitude towards firearms in the USA and calls on gun-owners to support a ban on semi-automatic weapons.
King almost immediately addresses one of his own works, 'Rage', written under his pseudonym of Richard Bachman, in which the lead character takes his classmates hostage at gunpoint in an American High School. King is no longer comfortable with it being in print after its association with incidents supposedly inspired by the contents of the story...
In 1988, Jeffrey Lyne Cox held 60 students hostage in a school in California. A friend of Cox later said that Cox had been inspired by, among other things, `Rage' which he had read time and time again and identified with strongly.
In 1996, Barry Loukaitis walked into his school in Washington USA and shot his Algebra teacher, after which he stated, "This sure beats algebra, doesn't it?" which is in fact a quote from `Rage'.
King himself has publically spoken about the novel and its influence: "The Carneal incident [another US school shooting where `Rage' was allegedly an influence] was enough for me. I asked my publisher to take the damned thing out of print. They concurred."
Subsequently, I would suggest that King is in somewhat of a unique position, allowing him to comment at length on the subject of gun ownership in the United States.
Throughout this 25 page essay, King comments on US gun laws, mental illness, American politics and gives an honest and frank account of his own school days and admits to being a gun owner himself. The world renowned author goes on to discuss proposed legislative reform and the stark realities such action would bring. Articulately, King tackles in an objective fashion the arguments against gun control and other associated points such as "home defence" and the influence of various mediums of entertainment.
In 'Guns', King looks at the executive orders and initiatives announced by President Obama in the wake of events at Sandy Hook Elementary School and considers gun legislation outwith the US and the impact such measures have had on gun crime in those countries.
Although thoughtful, well-written and clearly argued, there is a clear degree of emotion in what King writes here; which I think is entirely understandable given the subject matter at hand. I have noted some criticism levied at Guns but on closer consideration, any negativity is directed at the author and not the work and as such, does not merit further discussion.
King considers that every American needs to think about the fact that the US is saturated with firearms and said, "If this helps provoke constructive debate, I've done my job." Regardless of your own personal opinion on the issue of gun control, I would suggest that this essay is worthy of your time, consideration and a few pennies to support a worthwhile cause.
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paintwaxolyReviewed in Germany on June 28, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Interessanter, gut argumentierter Essay
Erst war ich etwas skeptisch, wieso ein hoch gefeierter Buch-Autor glaubt, seine Meinung zu Waffen, sei 99 Cent wert.
Aber Stephen King bringt in diesem kurzem Essay sehr viele gute Argumente, wieso (und WIE!!!) Waffengewalt in den USA eingeschränkt werden sollte.
Und da die Einnahmen dieses Essay genau zu diesem Zweck, also der Einschränkung von Waffengewalt, gesammelt werden, kann ich jeder Person, die sich auch nur im geringsten für Waffengesetzte generell (nicht unbedingt nur die der USA) interessiert, empfehlen.