Schools, theatres and malls used to be safe havens. Marathons were triumphal, not tragic. Today, public life is risky. Citizens are on edge, either calling for gun control or purchasing personal weapons of self-defense. In this timely book, prominent US and international authors examine gun violence in public life. They offer the latest data and analysis on topics such as comparative gun homicide rates, the efficacy of gun control, risks associated with gun ownership, concealed-carry data and policy, media and gaming violence, gender and guns, and school shootings. New insights are developed from a comparative case study of Canada, a country in which gun ownership is common but with a much lower rate of gun violence. Neither demonising nor mythologising guns, the contributors provide evidence-based analyses that shed light on policy directions and personal conduct.

We live in an era where many citizens feel increasingly uncertain about their futures, having to deal with stagnant wages, globalization, and wealth and income inequality, while, at the same time, policymakers appear unable or unwilling to reach any viable policy consensus on a wide range of major issues. Public Affairs and Democratic Ideals addresses these vexing conditions and the challenge they pose for public management and administration. Curtis Ventriss argues for reordering intellectual and policy priorities with a focus on publicness and the role of critical democratic thought in public affairs. Too often, the assumptions that underlie the prevailing theory and practice of addressing major political and economic problems remain unquestioned, with economic and political conflicts displaced into issues of administration and leadership. Ventriss calls for a reinvigorated notion of publicness based, in part, on a public social science, civic experimentation, and policies designed and tailored to the unique needs of various publics. As a way to move forward, this book offers ideas for redefining professionalism, promoting civic initiatives, and rethinking professional education for public service.

Guns have never been as prevalent in American culture as they are at this moment. Most contemporary conversations on guns either highlight the gun as just a tool used in mass killings or a right to be fiercely defended; eventually, whatever progress these debates foster in the public conversation tend to halt altogether once the old cliché, "guns don't kill people; people kill people" is trotted out. These gun control and gun violence discussions take the gun as passive object, ignoring the changing effects, and the very agency, that guns may deploy as politicized objects. What happens if we reset the conversation and admit that guns, and not the people behind them, kill people? The Lives of Guns offers a new and compelling way of thinking about the role of the gun in our social and political lives. In gathering ideas from law, science studies, sociology, and politics, each chapter turns the stale, standard gun conversations around by investigating the gun as an object with agency. In approaching guns from a technological perspective, down to the very science of how they are created and how they fire, The Lives of Guns takes up a number of questions, such as: How does the presence of these objects shape civic ideology? What does it mean to develop and care for gun and gun accessories technology? What do guns mean to those who build them versus those who fight for-and against-them? What could happen when drone technology meets gun technology? In bringing together fresh perspectives from leading lawyers, political scientists, and historians, The Lives of Guns promises to move the gun debate forward by opening up new ways of thinking about these issues and broadening the scope of these perennial debates.

The original edition of Public Journalism and Public Life, published in 1995, was the first comprehensive argument in favor of public journalism. Designed to focus the discussion about public journalism both within and outside the profession, the book has accomplished its purpose. In the ensuing years, the debate has continued; dozens of newspapers and thousands of journalists have been experimenting with the philosophy, while others still dispute its legitimacy. This larger second edition further develops the philosophy, responds to the arguments against it, outlines how specific principles can be applied, and explains the importance of public deliberation and the role of values in public journalism. Divided into three sections, it can be used as a supplement to the first edition or as a starting point for those being newly introduced to the ideas that have been the subject of debate within the profession and among those interested and involved in civic life at all levels. Section 1 summarizes two major arguments -- why journalism and public life are inseparably bound in success or failure and why the way journalism operates in the current environment fosters failure more often than success. Section 2 looks at the evolution of the profession's culture, its impact on the author's extensive career, and how he grew to believe that substantive change is needed in journalism. Section 3 deals with the implications of public journalism philosophy -- how it requires the application of additional values to daily work, its evolution in the early years and where its current focus should be, plus various questions about the future of cyberspace.

The cross is one of Christianity’s most distinctive symbols, increasingly cutting across Catholic/Protestant and other denominational divides. Although the US acknowledges no official religion, a variety of both Christian and non-Christian denominations have flourished. Crosses dot the landscape, sometimes towering over it and at other times simply marking a grave or the site of a traffic accident, or providing a place for contemplation. Courts continue to decide whether it is better to remove long-standing crosses on public property to protect the separation of church and state, or whether removing such symbols might be misinterpreted as expressing hostility towards religion. Whether marking identity, triumph, love, grief, or sacrifice, the cross remains important in American life and continues to be the subject of works of art, music, literature, and political, religious, and social rhetoric, all of which this volume addresses in an accessible A-to-Z format.

In Secularism, Catholicism, and the Future of Public Life, scholars from a range of disciplines respond to an essay by leading American constitutional law and Catholic legal thought scholar Douglas W. Kmiec, examining how religion, specifically Catholicism, can contribute to democracy in a secular age.

The number of ethical issues that demand a response from Christians today is almost dizzying. How can Christians navigate such matters? With an unflinching yet irenic approach, this volume invites engagement with the biggest ethical issues by drawing on real-life experiences and offering a range of responses to some of the most challenging moral questions confronting the church today.

Gun Violence In American Society: Crime, Justice, and Public Policy provides an in-depth, multidisciplinary investigation into one of society’s major social, public health and political concerns—death, injury, and destruction from the use of firearms. Contributors employ a variety of theoretical, methodological, and data analysis frameworks to address different gun violence issues. They explore how gun violence is created and perpetuated in society, as well as the various forms and social contexts in which it appears. The impacts of gun violence on different social groups, communities, and social institutions are also delineated. Moreover, possible solutions to gun violence are presented.

Gun violence—intentional, self-directed or accidental—is a profoundly traumatic experience. From physical injuries to unseen psychological scars and permanent impairments, it irrevocably changes people’s lives. Gun violence does not just the individual shot or threatened. Secondary victimisation also includes relatives, friends, colleagues, caregivers, and, perhaps controversially, perpetrators themselves. Gun Violence, Disability and Recovery provides the first overview of the rights and needs of survivors of gun violence. The collection contains contributions from gun violence survivors, trauma surgeons, disability rights activists, rehabilitation specialists, violence prevention and reduction experts, development practitioners, and gender justice advocates. From countries with low resource levels to those already equipped with state-of-the-art rehabilitation centres, this innovative publication provides policymakers, practitioners, government officials, and donors with timely analysis on what could be done differently to meet the needs and rights of survivors of gun violence. “This volume speaks to me both as a government official and as a survivor of gun violence. I know first-hand how painful the aftermath of such a life-changing event can be. But I also know it is possible to recover and make a positive difference in society. I hope this book will inspire other survivors to follow this path.” Lenín Moreno Garcés, Vice President, Ecuador “Little attention has been paid to the fact that for every person killed by gun violence, as many as six victims will survive, often with severe disabilities. The long-term physical and psychological damage, social and economic impacts, can no longer be overlooked. Bringing together voices of survivors, as well as health, medical, rehabilitation and legal concerns, this book represents a significant step forward, outlining key issues for policy, practice and intervention. It is a must read for anyone concerned about human rights and violence—and that should mean all of us.” Nora Ellen Groce, Director, Leonard Cheshire Disability & Inclusive Development Centre, University College London, UK “Every year, hundreds of thousands of victims of gun violence, together with their families, experience the real costs of the availability and misuse of arms in our communities. For these victims to attain their basic human rights, so often denied them, we need a better understanding of their predicament, challenges and needs. Gun Violence, Disability and Recovery, with its comprehensive overview and analysis, will critically inform our efforts to develop and implement better policies and practices to enhance the realisation of the rights of survivors of armed violence, including implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty.” Espen Barth Eide, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway “The reality of survivors of gun violence—my reality—is so often lost in narrow political and economic interests. This volume gives me hope that attention to life after gun violence will begin to receive long overdue attention, and contribute to the long haul effort of improving services for survivors as well as working towards accountability about the arms trade.” Shelley Barry, filmmaker, South Africa “International development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, will not be achieved if the rights of people with disabilities are not met. Through a broad range of case studies and examples from low and middle income countries, this book shows us how States could do better. Let us hope that its message is heard. As a