The politics of gun control

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Title:

Author:

Spitzer, Robert J., 1953- author.

ISBN:

9780367502843

9780367502867

Personal Author:

Spitzer, Robert J., 1953- author.

Edition:

Eighth edition.

Physical Description:

xv, 283 pages ; 23 cm.

General Note:

Revised edition of the author's The politics of gun control, [2018].

Source of cataloging data: WCP

Abstract:

"This book is the classic work on the tumultuous national gun debate in the US. The eighth edition brings together the latest research in gun politics, policy, law, history, and criminology and covers new topics including the Second Amendment sanctuary movement, the connection between the concealed gun carry movement and crime, the cascading troubles besetting the National Rifle Association coupled with a surging gun safety movement, the bump stock controversy, and the rise of red flag laws. This book provides a comprehensive and accessible source widely used by scholars, journalists, and in classrooms. New to the Eighth Edition - Covers the ascendance of the Second Amendment sanctuary and gun safety movements, resulting from heinous shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida. Tracks the financial, political, and legal crises that threaten the dominance of the National Rifle Association. Examines new policy measures including universal background checks, limits on large capacity ammunition magazines, the bump stock controversy, and "red flag" laws, among others"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Gun control -- United States.

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Summary

The new edition of this classic text covers the latest developments in American gun policy including the most recent shooting incidents that persist in plaguing the American landscape. Continuing a multi-decade trend, crime generally remains low throughout the US, but mass shootings have increased in both number and lethality, stoking greater support for gun laws among the public. Two seismic political events are highlighted in the eighth edition. The first is the ascendance of the gun safety movement, culminating in numerous electoral victories for gun law supporters in 2018 congressional and state races around the country. This outcome, which contributed to the Democrats' capture of the House of Representatives for the first time since 2008, also demonstrates that support for stronger gun laws could be a winning issue for proponents in 2020 and beyond. The second political development featured is the financial, political, and legal crises that beset the nation's oldest and most powerful gun group, the National Rifle Association. These crises are sufficiently grave that they may pose an existential threat to the organization's traditional dominance in the realm of gun politics.

Author Robert J. Spitzer has long been a recognized authority on gun control and gun policy. His even-handed treatment of the issue--as both a member of the NRA and the Brady Center--continues to compel national and international interest, including appearances on major media such as the PBS NewsHour . The eighth edition of The Politics of Gun Control provides the reader with up-to-date data and coverage of gun ownership, gun deaths, school shootings, border patrols and new topics including universal background checks, limits on large capacity ammunition magazines, and "red flag" laws.

New to the Eighth Edition

Covers the ascendance of the Second Amendment sanctuary and gun safety movements, resulting from heinous shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida. Tracks the financial, political, and legal crises that threaten the dominance of the National Rifle Association. Examines new policy measures including universal background checks, limits on large capacity ammunition magazines, the bump stock controversy, and "red flag" laws, among others.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Although someone is murdered in the U.S. every 21 minutes, and in more than 50% of the cases by handguns, Americans cling to the gun culture with a tenacity that transcends all reason. Clearly, primordial meanings are at work here, a symbolism as profound as it is irrational. Spitzer discusses the various dimensions of the controversy with a rare balance and maturity. The author first analyzes the Second Amendment, drawing out its legal interpretations (an ``armed militia'' is not quite the same as drug dealers with AK-47s). He then examines the consequences of guns to the nation, from injury to accidents, homicide to suicide; the political battle between the NRA and Handgun Control Inc.; and the history of policy making, culminating in the assault weapons ban and the Brady bill. Spitzer ends the book by suggesting a new public policy based on an international model, one that includes nonproliferation of new weapons and arms control for those that already exist, but whether this form of regulation would work is a moot point. It is not so much the hunting ethos that keeps guns in 70 million American homes but the cultural mythology that champions self-reliance and a frontier ethic. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Choice Review

Spitzer reviews the historical roots of the Second Amendment and several Supreme Court decisions to argue that the Constitution protects the (now obsolete) power of the states to raise armed militias rather than the individual's right to own a private firearm. He attributes the government's failure to enact more stringent restrictions on firearms (which kill 35,000 Americans annually) to a "gun culture," combined with the political activities of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its gun manufacturer allies. Spitzer decries the escalation that occurs as common citizens feel they must match the armaments of criminals, and outgunned police forces resort to increasingly lethal weapons. His solution to this proliferation is to employ the negotiating framework used to control international arms races by making a "fundamental distinction between arms control and disarmament." Traditional hunting and sporting rifles as well as shotguns for home protection would be permitted, but handguns would be strongly discouraged and assault weapons banned. All levels. T.H. Koenig; Northeastern University