The Politics of Gun Control

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The authoritative standard for anyone seeking fair-minded analysis of the American gun debate, the third education of The Politics of Gun Control homes in on three key culture shocks that have shaped the politics of gun control in America today: the shootings at Columbine High School, the partisan gun-control positions staked out before and after the 2000 election, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Written with insight and showcasing the wide-ranging debate, this edition also examines such important issues as the proliferation of concealed-carry laws, liability lawsuits filed against gun manufacturers, the NRA's political contributions to Republicans, and the controversy surrounding the assault weapons ban, bringing this popular and well-respected book right up to date.

SYNOPSIS

National commentators and social researchers have made Spitzer's The Politics of Gun Control a standard source for understanding America's gun control debate. The book has been widely heralded for its wide-ranging and fair-minded coverage of the national gun culture, the history and meaning of the Second Amendment, the criminological consequences of guns, the interest groups involved, public opinion, and the policy making roles of Congress, the presidency, and the bureaucracy. In the final chapter Spitzer convincingly proposes an innovative framework based on international relations and arms control to suggest a new way to proceed toward political accommodation on the gun control issue.New to the third edition of The Politics of Gun Control is coverage of the proliferation of concealed-carry laws in cities and counties. The book covers the debate and data on the effect of these laws on crime rates, homicide rates, gun-related violence and accidental deaths. School violence � including the shooting at Columbine High and other schools around the country — is also explored including: the congressional response in the aftermath of these episodes; the Senate's passing of a historic juvenile justice bill requiring background checks for gun show purchases; tougher penalties for sale to juveniles or to felons; mandatory gun locks on new handguns; and a ban on import of high-capacity ammunition clips. Also new to this edition are discussions of the liability lawsuits filed against gun manufacturers by cities and counties; NRA political funding of Republicans in the 2000 election campaign and lobbying successes with the Bush administration; new activism by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control); the Million Mom March (May 2000); and the expiration of 5-day waiting period for gun purchases in 1998; and the FBI's new computerized background check system.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

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.)

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