Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines the controversies surrounding gun control, which are less about whether it works and more about whether the nation should prioritize traditional values of rugged independence or newer values of communitarian interdependence.America''s Gun Wars contends that an understanding of America''s gun controversy cannot be found in statistics documenting the rise (or fall) of violent crime, or in examining trade-offs between societal needs and personal safety, or in following the political maneuvering of advocacy groups such as the National Rifle Association or Everytown for Gun Safety. At heart, the gun controversy is a values conflict involving how people see themselves and how they make sense of the world they live in. Understanding this controversy requires a deep analysis of the profoundly different cultures inhabited by pro- and anti-gun activists, lawmakers, and voters. Written by a social scientist who has spent his life exploring how values and self-perc
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction: An American Controversy
A Cultural Perspective Two Opposed Cultures Dimensions of Gun Control Organization and Approach Chapter 2 Origins of American Gun Culture
Foundational Events: The English Experience Building a Culture: The American Experience The Cultural Growth of Bedrock America: 19th-Century Developments Restrictions and Limitations in Bedrock America Bedrock America's Iconic Embodiment: The Birth of the NRA Chapter 3 The Emerging Cultural Rift: 1910–1940
New York's Sullivan Act Cosmopolitan America's Cultural Emergence Contradictory State Regulations National Regulation Impact on American Gun Culture Chapter 4 Cultural Coexistence: 1940–1960
A Pro-Gun Resurgence Anti-Gun Sentiment: Muted but Present Assessing Cultural Coexistence Chapter 5 Cultural Upheaval: 1960–1970
JFK's Assassination and Gun Legislation Urban Riots The Assassination of Malcolm X Resurgence of Crime and Violence The Black Panthers Urban Upheavals II MLK and RFK Assassinations Chapter 6 The Rift Widens: 1970–1990
Taking Aim at Handguns Enter Federal Agencies and Other Organizations Radicalization of the NRA A New Wave of Assassination Headlines Legislative Developments Chapter 7 Further Rifting: 1990–2000
The Fight to Ban Assault Weapons Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Governmental Gun Violence Waiting Periods, Background Checks, and an Assault Weapons Ban Lawsuits, Liabilities, and the Firearms Business Trigger Locks and Gun Safety Chapter 8 Cultural Ascendancy: 2001–2016
The PLCAA: Saving the Firearms Business Supreme Court Appointments and Landmark Cases Background and Reactions to the Parker/Heller Case Clarifying the Second Amendment A Second Landmark Decision: McDonald v. City of Chicago
Mass Shootings and Classroom Killers Chapter 9 Culture War Assessment: 2017–2018
Cosmopolitan America: Crime Prevention General Societal Safety Individual Personal Safety In Civilized Societies, Guns Are Illegitimate Bedrock America: Philosophical Foundations Constitutional Considerations Political Considerations Pragmatic Considerations Some Concluding Thoughts Notes Index
