Description
Book SynopsisShooting Down Gun Violence Misinformation"Don't tell me there's no such thing as gun violence. It happened in Parkland." ―Fred Guttenberg
#1 New Release in School Safety
Fred Guttenberg, who lost his beloved daughter Jaime in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, and International gun policy consultant Thomas Gabor team up in American Carnage to dismantle some of the most common myths about guns and gun violence.
A national disgrace. Over 40,000 die each year as a result of gun violence in America. Relative to other advanced countries, the U.S. has a dismal gun violence record. Gun law reforms could reduce the number of gun deaths per year, but many political challenges stand in the way. A widespread multi-year misinformation campaign and assault on truth by the gun lobby and gun-extremists sows doubt about the dangers posed by pervasive gun ownership and gun carrying, as well as the potential effectiveness of gun laws.
Debunking popular gun myths. Countering with strong evidence-based research the many slogans and myths repeated incessantly by spokespersons for the gun lobby and its surrogates is essential if we are to have a society in which kids can attend school safely and people can work and enjoy life without fear of being shot. Over the last 30 years, the NRA’s campaign to achieve an armed society has succeeded in persuading many Americans that having a gun in the home or carrying a gun makes them safer. The evidence is overwhelming this is not the case. Guns in the home are far more likely to be used against a family member or in a suicide attempt than against an intruder. Tackling this and other myths is critical.
Myths and slogans exposed as false in American Carnage include:
- Gun owners frequently use firearms to fend off attackers
- An armed society is a safer society
- Guns don’t kill people, people kill people
If you have read Trigger Points, The Violence Project, Warning Signs, or Fred Guttenberg’s Find the Helpers, American Carnage is a must read.
Trade Review“American Carnage by authors Thomas Gabor and Fred Guttenberg is a must read. Fred, like far too many Americans, understands gun violence because of the murder of his daughter Jaime. His work with Thomas Gabor to take on the myths around guns and gun violence in America and to present an evidence-based approach has resulted in a book that should be read by everyone who cares about this issue.”
—Congressman Eric Swalwell, US Representative to California's 15th congressional district
“What a powerful book! American Carnage is an essential read for anyone seeking to counter fiction with fact in their efforts to reduce gun violence in the United States.”
—Cassandra Crifasi, co-director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions, The Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
“This book, one I will go back to many times, gives you every essential tool to become a well-informed member of a club I want you to join: committed citizens lifting their voices for the lifesaving changes to gun laws the vast majority of Americans want.”
—Steve Kerr, son, husband, father, grandfather, and head coach of the Golden State Warriors
“Let me say at the outset that Fred Guttenberg and I agree on very little when it comes to gun policy. But we listen to each other and we constantly search for common ground. This book written by Thomas Gabor and Fred Guttenberg is an important one. And even though I disagree with some of what's written here, I recommend this book to anyone interested in saving lives. Fred and Tom make a passionate & evidenced-based case for facts to consider when pursuing certain reforms, which I'm sure will spur further passionate debate on this issue between us. I highly recommend American Carnage.”
—Former Congressman Joe Walsh of Illinois's 8th district
“Organized around the prolific myths surrounding the gun debate—and there are a great many—the authors, a criminologist and an activist, are motivated by a simple principle: that facts matter. In service to that principle, Gabor and Guttenberg’s highly readable and engaging book is a valuable contribution to truth in the otherwise often murky story of America and its guns.”
—Robert J. Spitzer, professor emeritus at SUNY Cortland and author of The Gun Dilemma and The Politics of Gun Control
“There’s no single voice more important in the conversation in America about gun safety and avoiding the unthinkable tragedy of losing a child to gun violence than Fred Guttenberg. Fred’s voice rings like a clarion in American Carnage where he, along with Thomas Gabor, explores the crucially important issue of misinformation when it comes to gun violence. The assault on truth spreads through every aspect of American politics, and there is no issue more uniquely American or deadly than gun violence. American Carnage is an essential read on one of the most important issues of our time.”
—Nicolle Wallace, host of Deadline: White House on MSNBC and former White House communications director
“American Carnage is a must-read for every gun violence prevention advocate and those interested in the complexities of the gun violence issue in America. Skillfully written and engaging, American Carnage lays bare the falsehoods and myths that have been circulated over decades by those most willing to profit from their acceptance and proliferation. This book is a fact-filled roadmap for ‘debunking’ the disinformation which has made gun violence prevention such a complicated issue.”
—Donna Wald, president of Grandmothers Against Gun Violence MA
“Smart, concise, well-written, and, perhaps more importantly, well-researched with non-biased, well-respected resource organizations. In debunking the many myths prevalent in the contemporary gun debates, the authors prove with facts and logic, glib slogans do not an argument make. The definitive resource on the misconceptions surrounding our gun culture debates. Highly recommended especially for advocates on both sides of the debate and the general public.”
—Patricia Hatch, founding member and former president of Cape Cod Grandmothers Against Gun Violence
“Since 2020, gun violence has become the leading cause of death for American children. That fact alone should make everyone who cares about a child read this book. We buckle our children into car seats, install pool fences, teach them not to take drugs or go with strangers. We give them medicine when they are sick and protect them from dangerous situations. It is long overdue that we protect them from the most dangerous threat of all—gun violence.
“This book is clearly written and easy to read. It is packed with well-researched, evidence-based facts. The myth-busting in this book provides new information even to long-time supporters of firearm regulation. This is the information that makes us better advocates for the kind of sensible gun laws that will save our children.”
—Susan Foley, MD, and Rebecca Cohen, co-leaders of Speaking Up for America/Indivisible
“This vital, accessible book offers a clear-eyed, deeply researched response to the flood of disinformation about guns and gun-related violence. Required reading for all who wish to stem the surging tide of gun carnage.”
—Caroline Light, director of the undergraduate women, gender, and sexuality studies program at Harvard University
“In American Carnage, Thomas Gabor and Fred Guttenberg masterfully tackle many of the common myths and misperceptions about firearms and gun violence in America. They provide an even-handed approach to sharing evidence-based facts and the realities of this complex issue in a way that will be approachable to audiences. In short, American Carnage is a strong primer for anyone looking to inform themselves about the bevy of issues surrounding the issue of firearms in the US.”
—Jaclyn Schildkraut, PhD, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, Rockefeller Institute of Government, and national expert on mass shootings
Table of ContentsContents
Chapter 1: Combatting Misinformation on Gun Violence
Chapter 2: The Truth About Guns in US History and Culture
Myth: Gun Laws are a Recent Development
Myth: An Increasing Percentage of Americans Are Buying Guns
Myth: America Has An All-Encompassing Gun Culture
Myth: Most Americans Support an Expansive View of Gun Rights and Generally Oppose Restrictions on Gun Ownership
Chapter 3: The Truth About Guns and Public Safety
Myth: An Armed Society is a Polite Society
Myth: The Only Consequences of Gun Violence are Murders
Myth: Gun Violence Numbers are Inflated Because they Include Suicides
Myth: Guns Make Women Safer
Myth: Arming Teachers Will Make Schools Safer
Myth: Gun Violence is Just a Problem in the Inner Cities
Chapter 4: The Truth About Guns and Assault Weapons
Myth: Guns Don’t Kill People, People Kill People
Myth: An AR-15-Style Rifle Is a Sporting Gun
Chapter 5: The Truth About Guns and Self-Defense Myth: Guns Provide a Net Benefit to Society in That They Are More Likely to be Used for Protection Than to Commit Crimes
Myth: There are 2.5 Million Defensive Gun Uses Per Year in the US
Myth: Right-to-Carry Laws Reduce Crime
Myth: Training Required of Concealed Weapons Permit Holders Prepares Them for Effective Defensive Gun Use
Myth: All Concealed Weapons Permit Holders are “Good Guys”
Myth: Stand Your Ground Laws Save Lives
Myth: Most Mass Shootings Occur in Gun-Free Zones
Chapter 6: The Truth About the Causes of Gun Violence
Myth: The US has More Gun Deaths Than Other Countries Because It Is More Violent and Not Due to Higher Gun Ownership or Weaker Gun Laws
Myth: Mass Shootings and Gun Violence are Primarily Due to the Mental Illness of the Perpetrator
Chapter 7: The Truth about Guns and the Constitution
Myth: The Second Amendment Grants Americans the Right to Carry Any Firearm into Any Setting
Chapter 8: The Truth about Guns and Freedom
Myth: Widespread Gun Ownership and Gun Carrying Increases Our Freedom
Myth: We Must Choose Between Public Safety and the Freedom to Own Guns
Myth: Gun Violence is the Price We Pay for Our Freedoms
Chapter 9: The Truth As to Why Guns Ought to be Regulated
Myth: We Need to Tackle the Root Causes of Violence and Stop Blaming Guns
Myth: Why Ban Guns When People Can Also be Killed with Knives, a Frozen Ham, or Die in a Car or Pool?
Myth: Guns Don’t Matter Because People Will Find a Way to Kill Others or Themselves Regardless of Gun Availability
Chapter 10: The Truth About Gun Laws and Gun Violence Prevention
Myth: Gun Violence Prevention Always Involves Changes to Laws and Public Money
Myth: Switzerland and Israel have Relaxed Gun Laws and Low Murder Rates
Myth: Hitler Introduced Strict Gun Control to Repress the Population
Myth: We Don’t Need More Gun Laws; We Just Need to Enforce the Laws We Have
Myth: Gun Control Doesn’t Work. Chicago has Very Strict Laws and a Huge Gun Violence Problem
Myth: Gun Owners and Nonowners Disagree on Every Form of Regulation
Myth: Bans and Restrictions Don’t Work as Criminals Don’t Obey the Law and Can Buy Guns on the Illegal Market
Myth: Banning Firearms is Futile When So Many Weapons Are Already in Civilian Hands
Myth: Gun Laws Are a First Step to the Complete Disarmament of the Population (the Slippery Slope Argument)
Chapter 11: How to Combat Misinformation and Change the Focus from Gun Rights to Public Safety
Acknowledgments About the Authors Appendix A: A Declaration of the Right to Live Free from Gun Violence Notes
