Read more
In the wake of the 2011 shooting of congresswoman Gabby Giffords, the latest edition of The Politics of Gun Control is extremely timely. As a member of both the National Rifle Association and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Robert J. Spitzer is a well respected authority on the issue of gun control, and his balanced treatment of the issue continues to compel interest and interviews by such luminaries as Terry Gross and Keith Olbermann. The Fifth Edition includes covers recent public shootings including that of Gabrielle Giffords, recent court rulings, new data on gun ownership, gun deaths and public opinion on gun control and looks at NRA politics in recent elections.
List of contents
Preface Introduction 1. Policy Definition and Gun Control Regulation, Public Order, and Public Policy Guns and Regulation The Gun Controversy The Gun Culture Policy Gridlock Social Regulatory Policy Analysis 2. The Second Amendment: Meaning, Intent, Interpretation, and Consequences Historic Roots The Constitution The Bill of Rights The Militia Transformed Supreme Court Rulings Other Court Rulings Bad History Makes Bad Law Conclusion 3. The Criminological Consequences of Guns America and Violence Choice of Weapons Homicide and Malicious Injury Suicide Accidents Self-Defense Guns and School Violence Gun Carrying on College Campuses? Extending the "Castle Doctrine" to America's Streets Conclusion 4. Political Fury: Gun Politics Single-Issue Gun Groups: The NRA Explaining the NRA's Effectiveness The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence The Million Mom March The Gun Control Movement's Strategic Blunders The Political Balance and the Invincibility Myth Public Opinion Political Parties and Guns Conclusion 5. Institutions, Policymaking, and Guns Early Legislative Efforts The Gun Control Act of 1968 The Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 The Tide Turns: The Assault Weapons Ban The Brady Bill The Post-Columbine Reaction Lawsuit Protection for Gun Manufacturers The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Conclusion: Furious Politics, Marginal Policy 6. Gun Policy: A New Framework Federalism: The Great Regulation Dilemma Gun Policy Alternatives The Barriers to Gun Control The Security Dilemma The Security Dilemma and the Gun Debate Nonproliferation and Arms Control Notes Index About the Author
About the author
Robert J. Spitzer is Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at SUNY-Cortland.
