The Gun Control Debate : You Decide

by Lee Nisbet

Columbine and other highly publicized shootings have kept America's century-old gun debate in the forefront of public attention.Using selections from historians, criminologists, social scientists, public health specialists, and jurists, Dr. Nisbet provides an in-depth analysis of the central issues involved in our debate over guns. By providing a set of critical-thinking questions, with examples of experts raising these very points, Nisbet invites readers to evaluate gun-control issues more deeply and thoroughly than is possible in the popular media's portrayal of the issue.Among the questions addressed Does the availability of guns influence levels, patterns, and concentrations of violent crime? If so, how, and what are the policy implications? Do guns for self-defense menace gun owners and their families more than protect them? Should women, in particular, arm themselves? How should we interpret the Second Amendment? How does the gun debate reflect underlying cultural volatility?Containing twenty-nine new articles and an entirely new section on the media called, "The Gun Control Debate in the Age of (Mis)information," this new revised edition provides the most up-to-date research on this hotly contested topic. The contributors include B. Bruce-Briggs, Philip J. Cook, Barry Glasner, Gordon Hawkins, Richard Hofstadter, Don B. Kates Jr., Gary Kleck, David Kopel, John Lott, Joyce Malcolm, Gary Wills, Mary Zeiss Stange, Franklin E. Zimring, and others.xNo matter what side of the debate you're on, this outstanding collection of the best articles on gun control will give you the critical-thinking tools and the facts needed to understand the complexities of this controversial issue.

Genres: Education, Reference

580 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2000

Reviews

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, making about the best effort I've seen to present resources for those interested in making informed decisions about gun policies.

The author consulted the NRA *and* gun control groups to get their best references for reading on the topic. This book is the result.

Tired of the hyperbolic arguments? This is the place to look for answers.

[Shoshana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a really informative book, but sometimes very repetitive. It was also a bit hard to finish, due to so much information and the information being presented.

[David Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

The core essays of this book were collected by asking gun rights groups and pro-gun control groups to recommend the strongest pieces advocating their position. By the end of the book you have a foundational sense of the basic arguments on each side.