This up-to-date second-edition work will stimulate and clarify readers' thinking on the key issues surrounding guns in the United States—especially on the debate over gun control. Most public debate and discussion about guns in U.S. society is rarely guided by research—not surprising, as most individuals have a personal opinion on this highly inflammatory topic based on their upbringing or personal experiences. Additionally, most research about gun use in America is confusing and contradictory, making it difficult for citizens to gain much from their attempts to investigate the topic objectively. This book offers concise, understandable coverage of all aspects of the issue, including incidence of gun violence; gun control; gun rights; government regulation, legislation, and court decisions; gun organizations (for gun control and for gun rights); gun enthusiast subcultures—for example, hunters, target shooters, and collectors; and U.S. attitudes toward guns. Many of the covered topics are placed in historical and cross-cultural perspective. The new edition of Gun Control in the United States: A Reference Handbook enables the reader to navigate and interpret the research to become sufficiently educated on any specific aspect of the gun issue to make an informed decision—for example, whether to support stricter or more lenient gun control; whether to become a gun owner; whether to support a particular political party or candidate; or whether to develop or to refine a particular philosophy regarding guns. Other aspects of the contemporary gun debate that are addressed include whether the Supreme Court's ruling that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right will withstand future challenges, whether the strong gun regulations used in Europe would be effective and applicable in reducing gun violence in the United States, and whether the diversity explosion created by the high rate of immigration from countries where guns are strictly controlled will soon change the politics of the U.S. gun control debate.

Taking the bold position that the battle over gun control has already been won by the pro-gun-rights faction, this book will be equally informative to those immersed in the debate and those new to it. Gun control evokes passions equaled by few other subjects. As this book shows, the debate over firearms begins with cultural values and extends into questions of constitutional rights, public health and safety, and politics. Examining its subject through the prism of the Sandy Hook shootings, the book looks at the influence of elected officials, the courts, interest groups, and average citizens in shaping gun-control laws. It shares poll results detailing what the public really thinks about guns and why, and it explains the various components of gun policy and policymaking to show how they come together to form the current reality. While small skirmishes about the right to bear arms will continue for some time, the author, a self-described "gun-owning academic," asserts that changing public opinion, Supreme Court decisions, dominance of gun-rights interest groups, the Democratic Party's virtual withdrawal from the discussion, and a declining violent-crime rate have formed a perfect storm, resulting in the effective end of the gun control debate. This assertion and the thoughtful examination that leads to it will be of equal interest to those engaged in the argument and those researching it for the first time.

According to a recent report by the Media Research Center, television news stories calling for stricter gun laws outnumbered newscasts opposing such laws by a ratio of 10 to 1. In other words, we are hearing only one side of the story. No wonder so few people are equipped to debate the issue of guns intelligently.The 7 Myths of Gun Control is a readable, easy-to-use guide for people confused and frustrated by the blizzard of anti-gun propaganda. It details the seven most common arguments used by gun prohibitionists, debunking each one with a wealth of statistical and legal data gleaned from top experts in the field of guns and gun rights. Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Richard Poe distills the pro-gun arguments into readable, bite-sized chunks designed to appeal to a mass audience. The seven myths that Poe exposes are (1) guns increase violent crime, (2) pulling a gun on a criminal endangers you more than the criminal, (3) guns pose a special threat to children, (4) the Second Amendment applies only to militiamen, (5) the Second Amendment is an obsolete relic of the frontier era, (6) we should treat guns the same w

Provides information on both sides of the gun control issue, discussing crime, suicides, accidents, the Constitution, and government regulations.