NCJ Number
190209
Editor(s)
Lee Nisbet
Date Published
2001
Length
580 pages
Annotation
This book provides fundamental information that is at the core of the gun control debate.
Abstract
Since the peak of gun-related deaths in 1993, a decline in recorded firearm violence has taken place. Factors that could explain this decline in both gun violence and violent crime are the implementation of the Brady Act in 1994, the Federal ban on assault weapons in 1994, and mandatory add-on penalties for carrying weapons while committing crimes. An interesting observation is that in 1999, despite all the encouraging trends in gun mortality, the gun control issue was reignited in the print and visual media. Selections of writings on gun control by various authors explain not only why the gun control debate has taken its present course, but also the consequences of this course for identifying and resolving actual problems. In Part One, selections from historians, sociologists, and criminologists explore the cultural and political agendas that influence past and current discussions. Part Two provides specific examples of mass media treatment of gun massacres. In Part Three, social scientists and criminologists raise and debate key questions, such as how does gun availability influence the level and pattern of violent crime. In Part Four, experts in public health, economics, and criminology explore the most contentious questions in the gun debate, such as how often Americans employ guns defensively. Part Five presents two historians’ views on the right to bear arms. Key questions regarding the issues of gun control policies and experiences of other countries, gun ownership as deterrence to crime, the risk of firearms in the home to children, and the constitutional right to own firearms, are discussed. Bibliography