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Did you know that gun violence is the #1 cause of death among America's children and teens and that guns in the home are far more likely to be used in killing family members than intruders? Gun Violence 101, a unique illustrated book using original graphics and artwork, presents many shocking facts about gun violence and gun laws in America. Criminologist Thomas Gabor, coauthor of the acclaimed book American Carnage, joins forces with award-winning author and illustrator Violet Lemay in showing that many of America's gun laws harm rather than protect us. Many Americans have been influenced by the gun lobby's harmful campaigns designed to convince the public that guns in the home, gun carrying, and permissive laws will make the country safer. Instead, such policies have produced record numbers of gun deaths and mass shootings around the country. Gabor and Lemay present solutions to gun violence that have been shown to make people and communities safer. Other Surprising Facts About Gun Violence:Americans own 50 times more military-style weapons like the AR-15 today than in the 1990s Fatal road rage shootings have more than doubled in the last few years as more people carry guns. 6% of Americans own two-thirds of all the nation's guns.
List of contents
Foreword by Fred Guttenberg, National Spirit Award winner
Preface
Chapter 1
America’s Private ArsenalChapter 2
Gun Deaths and Trauma: The US vs. the WorldChapter 3
Gun Laws in America: A Brief HistoryChapter 4
Gun Culture in AmericaChapter 5
Guns Do Kill: The Weapon MattersChapter 6
Lethality of Today’s WeaponsChapter 7
Self-Defense: Reality or Illusion?Chapter 8
Mass Shootings: Random, Targeted, or Reckless?Chapter 9
Do Guns Make Women Safer?Chapter 10
Roots of Gun Violence: How Important Is Mental Illness?Chapter 11
The Constitution: Are Gun Rights Unlimited?Chapter 12
The Gun IndustryChapter 13
Public Opinion on Guns and ViolenceChapter 14
Suicide: Do Methods Matter?Chapter 15
Do Gun Laws Work?Chapter 16
A Declaration of the Right of Americans to Live Free from Gun ViolenceAcknowledgements
Notes
About the Author and Illustrator
About the author
Thomas Gabor, formerly Professor of Criminology at Ottawa University, is an international gun policy consultant. An author of 200 works, he has testified in front of Parliamentary committees, served as an advisor to the United Nations, and advised governmental agencies. He is author of Confronting Gun Violence in America and ENOUGH!.Violet Lemay began her career as an editorial illustrator for clients including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Psychology Today. For the past decade, she's been involved in book publishing. Lemay has illustrated nearly fifty books, mostly for children, eight of which she wrote. Her 2023 picture book biography of a student victim of the Uvalde mass shooting, Alithia Ramirez Was an Artist, won nine awards including the Hoffer grand prize. Violet’s books have been translated into many languages. Her editorial and book illustrations have won many awards and are featured as part of the permanent collection of the Hyundai Museum of Kids’ Books and Art in Seoul, Korea. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Violet moved to New Zealand in 2015 where she now resides. She has also lived in China and Malaysia.
Fred Guttenberg began his public life after the murder of his beautiful fourteen-year-old daughter Jaime in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting on Feb 14, 2018. The day after the murder, Fred decided to attend a public vigil. While there, the mayor asked him to speak. His words shook a nation and he has not stopped since. Only four months prior to the murder of his daughter, Fred’s brother Michael passed away in October 2017 from cancer related to his service in 9/11 in New York City. He was one of the original first responders at the World Trade Center with a team of doctors who got trapped in the WTC as it collapsed. Amazingly, the room that they hid out in did not collapse and Michael and his team of physicians spent sixteen days at ground zero taking care of others. Following his involvement in these two distinctly American tragedies, Fred has traveled the country talking about both events but also talking about perspective, perseverance, and resilience. He discusses pivotal moments in our lives and how we respond to those moments, using his speech to inspire others. Fred and his wife Jennifer now spend time challenging elected officials to do more. They began a nonprofit organization dedicated to Jaime’s life called "Orange Ribbons for Jaime." He has been a regular on TV news programs and myriad online and print media. The nonprofit is now his full-time mission. He is the winner of the 2023 American Spirt Award for Citizen Activism.
