People For and Against Gun Control: A Biographical Reference

by Marjolijn Bijlefeld

Overview

The debate over gun control is a complex and compelling one that has created a deep divide between gun rights and gun control supporters. Student researchers can use this reference source to explore the issue through the lives of fifty people who have become actively involved in either supporting gun control and stricter laws, or in supporting the rights of people to own and carry guns. This unique approach to the debate provides profiles of these individuals, highlighting the different reasons for each person's deep involvement in the debate and the different elements involved in the debate as a whole.

Victims of gun violence, police officers, physicians, and Second Amendment scholars are among those who put a human face on this complicated debate. Readers can expect to experience a range of emotions and a questioning of their own views as they explore the complex issues of individual rights, the role of government and law enforcement, public health questions, and social issues such as gang violence and the need for safe communities from a variety of perspectives. A thorough introduction outlining the debate, references to additional sources, and complete lists of federal and state gun laws are additional tools this volume provides to help students understand the complexity of this divisive social issue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313306907
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/30/1999
Series:	The Greenwood Press "People Making a Difference" Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

MARJOLIJN BIJLEFELD is a freelance writer and editor who worked with the Coalition to End Gun Violence and served as the Director of The Educational Fund to End Gun Violence. She is the author of The Gun Control Debate: A Documentary History (Greenwood, 1997).

Table of Contents

Introduction
Profiles
Appendix A: A Summary of Federal Gun Laws
Appendix B: State Firearm Laws
Appendix C: State Constitutional Clauses on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Appendix D: Profiles Indexed by Pro-Regulation or Anti-Regulation
Appendix E: Profiles Indexed by State
Appendix F: Profiles Indexed by Profession or Interest
Appendix G: Additional Reading, by Topic
Appendix H: Resources
Index

Editorial Reviews

Although Bijlefeld, an editor and freelance writer who has worked with the Coalition to End Gun Violence, may have a bias for stricter gun control, this book does not allow her interests to show through. It is a well balanced collection of arguments, both pro and con, on the gun control debate, from people directly caught up in the fight. Bijlefeld provides a thorough history of the debate in her introduction and then allows the interviews to speak for themselves. Profiles include victims of gun violence, scholars in criminology and sociology, lawyers, gun manufacturers, lobbyists at the state and federal levels, and elected officials. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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