The gun debate : what everyone needs to know /

The gun debate : what everyone needs to know /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Cook, Philip J., 1946- author.
Imprint:New York : Oxford University Press, 2014.
©2014
Description:1 online resource (x, 280 pages) : illustrations, graphs.
Language:English
Series:What everyone needs to know
What everyone needs to know.
Subject:
Gun control -- United States.
Firearms ownership -- United States.
Firearms -- Law and legislation -- United States.
Firearms -- Law and legislation.
Firearms ownership.
Gun control.
United States.
Format: E-Resource Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11754323
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:Goss, Kristin A., 1965- author.
ISBN:9780199339006
0199339007
9780199338993
0199338981
9780199338986
9781306562096
1306562090
019933899X
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Print version record.
Summary:"No topic is more polarizing than guns and gun control. From a gun culture that took root early in American history to the mass shootings that repeatedly bring the public discussion of gun control to a fever pitch, the topic has preoccupied citizens, public officials, and special interest groups for decades. The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know® delves into the issues that Americans debate when they talk about guns. With a balanced and broad-ranging approach, noted economist Philip J. Cook and political scientist Kristin A. Goss thoroughly cover the latest research, data, and developments on gun ownership, gun violence, the firearms industry, and the regulation of firearms. The authors also tackle sensitive issues such as the effectiveness of gun control, the connection between mental illness and violent crime, the question of whether more guns make us safer, and ways that video games and the media might contribute to gun violence. No discussion of guns in the U.S. would be complete without consideration of the history, culture, and politics that drive the passion behind the debate. Cook and Goss deftly explore the origins of the American gun culture and the makeup of both the gun rights and gun control movements. Written in question-and-answer format, the book will help readers make sense of the ideologically driven statistics and slogans that characterize our national conversation on firearms. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in getting a clear view of the issues surrounding guns and gun policy in America"--
Other form:Print version: Cook, Philip J., 1946- Gun debate : what everyone needs to know. New York : Oxford University Press, 2014 x, 280 pages 9780199338993
Table of Contents:
  • Cover
  • The Gun Debate
  • Copyright
  • Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • The Gun Debate
  • 1 America and Its Guns
  • What Is a Gun?
  • What Is the Problem with Guns?
  • How Many Americans Own How Many Firearms?
  • Who Owns the Guns?
  • Why Do People Choose to Own Guns-or Not?
  • How Many Guns Do Gun Owners Own?
  • Is Gun Ownership Rising or Falling?
  • What Role Do Shooting Sports Play in American Life?
  • Has Participation in Gun Sports Declined?
  • What Are the Common Types of Modern Firearms?
  • Why Do Gun Owners Usually Have Several Guns?
  • What Is an Assault Weapon?
  • What Devices Are Available to Prevent Misuse?
  • 2 The Value of Guns for Self-Protection and Combating Tyranny
  • Why Is Self-Defense Central to the Debate over Gun Control?
  • Is a Gun an Effective Means of Self-Protection against an Assailant?
  • How Often Are Guns Used in Self-Defense?
  • What Are the Risks and Benefits of Keeping a Firearm in the Home for Protection?
  • Do Burglars Avoid Neighborhoods Where Residents Keep Guns in the Home?
  • How Many People Are Licensed to Carry a Gun?
  • What Is It Like to Carry a Concealed Gun?
  • Does Society Benefit If More Civilians Carry Concealed Weapons?
  • Do Americans Believe That Guns Make Us Safer?
  • Do Americans Believe That Guns Make Our Democracy Stronger?
  • Do Guns Protect against Tyranny, Even Genocide?
  • 3 The Costs of Gun Violence
  • How Many Americans Are Killed or Injured by Gunfire?
  • Is Gun Violence Rising or Falling in America?
  • Why Are Attacks with Guns of Any More Concern Than Attacks with Other Weapons?
  • Does the Availability of a Firearm Increase the Risk of Suicide?
  • Who Is at Risk for Being Shot?
  • How Has Gun Violence Touched National Political Life?
  • What Is a Mass Shooting?
  • Are US Mass Shootings Increasing?
  • What Are the Worst Mass Shootings in History?
  • Are There Common Elements in Mass Shootings?
  • Does the United States Have More Crime Than Other Countries?
  • How Much Does Gun Violence Cost America?
  • 4 Causes of Gun Violence
  • Who Can Be Trusted with a Gun?
  • Do More Guns Cause More Crime-or Less?
  • Is Gun Violence Closely Linked to Other Types of Violence?
  • What Do Israel and Switzerland Teach Us about the Importance of Gun Ownership as a Cause of Gun Violence?
  • Do Cultural Differences Help Account for Differences in Levels of Gun Violence?
  • Do the Media Contribute to Gun Violence in America?
  • What about Violent TV and Movies?
  • What about Copycat Crimes?
  • What about Violent Video Games?
  • What Do We Know about the Connection between Mental Health and Gun Violence?
  • 5 Manufacture and Marketing of Guns
  • How Large Is the Gun Industry in America?
  • How Is Firearms Production Organized?
  • How Does the Industry Market Its Products?
  • What Is Required to Become a Licensed Dealer?
  • How Many Guns Does an Average Dealer Sell in a Year? A Successful Dealer?
  • How Are Dealers Regulated?
  • What Fraction of Gun Transactions Go through Licensed Dealers?
  • What Are Gun Shows, and Why Are They Problematic?
  • Can Guns Be Sold on the Internet? Ammunition?
  • What Is the Supply Chain for Guns Used in Crime?
  • How Are Illicit Gun Markets Different from Illicit Drug Markets?
  • How Do American Dealers Supply Gangs in Mexico and Canada?
  • How Many Guns Are Stolen Each Year?
  • How Do Criminals Obtain Their Guns?
  • 6 How America Regulates Firearms
  • Generally Speaking, How Does America Regulate Guns?
  • What Is the Second Amendment?
  • What Gun Controls Are Unconstitutional under the Second Amendment-and What Laws Are Presumed to Be Lawful?
  • How Many Gun Laws Are There?
  • What Are the Key Gun Control Laws?
  • Which States Have the Strongest Laws, and Which Have the Weakest?
  • If I Want to Buy a Gun, What Is the Process?
  • Who Is Barred from Owning a Firearm?
  • Who Enforces Gun Control Laws?
  • What Are the Challenges of Enforcing Gun Laws?
  • How Do US Laws Compare to Those in Other Countries?
  • Why Aren't Guns Treated Like Other Consumer Products-Cars, Toys, Even Cigarettes?
  • Do Stand-Your-Ground Laws Reduce Violence-or Increase It?
  • 7 Effectiveness of Firearms Policy
  • With 200 to 300 Million Guns in Civilian Hands, Is There Any Point in Regulating Firearms?
  • Did the Federal Assault Weapons Ban Reduce Gun Violence? What about the 1934 Law on Machine Guns?
  • What Do the Handgun Bans in Chicago and Washington, DC, Teach Us about the Effectiveness of Gun Control?
  • Do Gun Buy-Backs Reduce Gun Violence?
  • What Measures Are Effective in Reducing Gun Trafficking?
  • Do Federal Prosecutions of "Felon in Possession" Cases Deter Gun Crime?
  • Was the Brady Act Effective in Reducing Homicide and Suicide?
  • What Is the "Private Sale Loophole," and What Would Be Gained from Closing It?
  • How Effective Is the Federal Law That Disqualifies Perpetrators of Domestic Violence?
  • What Is the Evidence for Disqualifying Those with Violent Misdemeanors?
  • Should Disqualification as a Result of Criminal Record Be for Life?
  • What Are the Most Promising Strategies for Keeping Guns Away from Those Who Are Dangerous to Themselves or Others because of Me
  • Do State Authorities Seek to Disarm Newly Disqualified People?
  • Do Sentencing Enhancements Reduce Gun Use in Violent Crime?
  • Is Targeted Policing against Guns Productive?
  • How Effective Are Hunting Regulations on Firearms Safety?
  • 8 Guns and Gun Control in History
  • Is There a Uniquely American Gun Culture?
  • Where Does the Gun Culture Come From?
  • Was There Gun Control in Frontier America?
  • Is Gun Control an Effort to Protect the Elite against Minorities and Immigrants?
  • How Have Laws Governing Carrying and Self-Defense Changed over Time?
  • Did Hitler's Gun Control Laws Cause the Holocaust?
  • 9 Public Opinion and Political Party Positions on Guns
  • Do Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws?
  • Who Supports Gun Control, and Who Supports Gun Rights?
  • Why Is the Issue of Guns and Gun Control So Emotional for Many People?
  • Do High-Profile Shootings Shift Public Opinion on Gun Policy?
  • Where Do the Democratic and Republican Parties Stand on Gun Control?
  • Does Support for Gun Control Cost Candidates Their Elections?
  • 10 The Gun Rights Movement
  • What Is the Gun Rights Movement?
  • Why Is the Gun Lobby So Strong?
  • Are Gun Rights Supporters More Intense Than Gun Control Supporters?
  • How Has the NRA Shaped Gun Control Policy?
  • Does the NRA Represent the Firearms Industry?
  • 11 The Gun Control Movement
  • What Is the Gun Control Movement?
  • Why Is the Gun Control Movement Relatively Weak?
  • What Happens after a High-Profile Shooting?
  • Do the Media Favor Gun Control?
  • 12 What Sorts of Gun Policies Might Be Politically Acceptable Going Forward?
  • Notes
  • References
  • Index.

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