Paulsen deserves credit for delivering to his young audience a novel that takes their minds seriously. Every sentence of The Rifle speaks of his respect for his audience's ability to think. The central issue of The Rifle is one that stirs hot, often angry, sometimes violent debate among Americans. The issue may be summed up by the old cliche "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." Paulsen disagrees with this, and The Rifle is his explanation of how he views weapons.

He is uncomplimentary in his portrait of those who belief the cliche. For instance, Tim Harrow is an idiot savant, selfish, a liar, and without comprehension of the principles he believes he has: In his [Harrow's] life, in all his life—or virtually all the lives of all the thousands and even millions of men who were weapons enthusiasts, who believed in the right...