Since its initial publication, this book has become the classic work on every important element of the tumultuous national gun debate in America. This new edition brings together the latest developments and research in gun politics, policy, law, history, and criminology to provide a comprehensive and accessible source widely used by scholars, journalists, and in classrooms. In this era of polarized politics, this book provides a unique window into how and why that polarization drives our politics. Among the new topics covered in this edition are the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, new Supreme Court protections for concealed carry permits, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on gun violence and policy. New to the Ninth Edition • Examines current gun control legislation at both state and federal levels, particularly the circumstances that lead to the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022. • Introduces the new constitutional standards for gun control legislation set by the controversial, pro-Second Amendment Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). • Provides expanded and updated consideration on related issues including: the rise of "gun carry" movements on college campuses, attempts to regulate "ghost guns," bump stocks and guns with high capacity magazines, .50 caliber sniper rifles, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6 Capitol Attack, and the Black Lives Matter movement on contemporary gun control debates. • Tracks the financial, political, and legal crises that threaten the dominance of the National Rifle Association and examines the rise of new gun rights groups, such as the National Association for Gun Rights. • Presents new and updated statistical research on gun ownership in America, gun-related fatalities, public opinion support of "red-flag" laws and other gun control measures. • Incorporates new pedagogical features of chapter summaries and discussion questions into each chapter.

Gun control is one of the most enduringly controversial issues in modern American politics. For the first time this book compiles a comprehensive array of documents that explain and illuminate the historical and contemporary context of the modern gun debate. Bringing together over 50 documents from the colonial era to the present, including early colonial laws, founding documents, letters, political debates, federal and state laws, federal and state court cases, and various political documents, this book is an indispensable reference work for those seeking to understand the origins and modern consequences of American gun policy, including the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms. Accompanying commentary and analysis is included to help the reader fully understand the meaning of these documents. Numerous bibliographic sources provide additional resources for interested readers. Ideal for undergraduate and high school students, this collection of primary documents surrounding one of America's oldest controversial issues is a must-have for library shelves.

Contrary to popular impression, gun laws are as old as the country, and reflect the intersection of citizens' personal gun habits and the country's early need to defend itself by citizen militias who were required to arm themselves. The nation's gun policies evolved as its needs and resources changed. Old-style militias gave way to a modern professional American military, and the settling of the American frontier ushered in modern gun laws. In the past century, political assassinations and gun-related mass violence spurred both new gun control efforts and a burgeoning modern gun rights movement. Students will be able to read and analyze primary documents surrounding these events, including the Federalist Papers, early hunting laws, Supreme Court rulings, federal and state regulations, and recent political platform statements. Ideal for undergraduate and high school students, this collection of primary documents surrounding one of America's oldest controversial issues is a must-have for library shelves.

An objective examination of the Second Amendment, focusing on the intentions of its authors, its evolution from America's beginnings to the present, and the views expressed by the courts. In The Right to Bear Arms: Rights and Liberties under the Law, the first volume in ABC-CLIO's America's Freedoms series, political scientist Robert J. Spitzer combats hysteria and rhetoric with simple facts. He takes no position on whether more or fewer gun control laws are needed or whether guns are good or bad. Instead, he traces the roots of the Second Amendment, analyzes the opinions and intentions of its authors, follows its application and evolution from its beginnings, and explores the views expressed by the courts. He then carefully compares the intended and the implied meaning of this amendment with the views expressed by the entire spectrum of groups involved in the gun control issue. Armed with the facts, readers can decide for themselves. A detailed analysis traces the right to bear arms from its origins in Britain into the 21st century The book includes key primary source documents, such as federal regulations and Supreme Court decisions, a list of the right to bear arms provisions from 44 state constitutions, and excerpts from the Republican and Democratic Party platforms

This book is a sweeping indictment of the legal profession in the realm of constitutional interpretation. The adversarial, advocacy-based American legal system is well suited to American justice, in which one-sided arguments collide to produce a just outcome. But when applied to constitutional theorizing, the result is selective analysis, overheated rhetoric, distorted facts, and overstated conclusions. Such wayward theorizing finds its way into print in the nation's over 600 law journals - professional publications run by law students, not faculty or other professionals - and peer review is almost never used to evaluate worthiness. The consequences of this system are examined through three timely cases: the presidential veto, the "unitary theory" of the president's commander-in-chief power, and the Second Amendment's "right to bear arms." In each case, law reviews were the breeding ground for defective theories that won false legitimacy and political currency. This book concludes with recommendations for reform.

Political scientists and media specialists accept the commonplace assumption that the mass media have a profound and direct impact on virtually every aspect of the political process, yet remarkably few systematic studies examining the relationship between media and policy exist. Media and Public Policy brings together 15 prominent scholars who focus analytic attention on the underexamined connection between the media and public policymaking. Part I, which addresses theoretical perspectives, includes a chapter on media impact on the political status quo by leading expert Doris A. Graber and another on newsmaking and policymaking by Julio Borquez. Part II, Media and Domestic Policy, includes chapters on FCC decisions (Wenmouth Williams, Jr.), understanding public policy through news broadcasts (Marion Just and Ann Crigler), the role the media plays in economic development and agenda setting (Michael Hawthorne), and media and the right to privacy (Dean Alger). Jerry and Michael Medler contribute a chapter about media images as environmental policy, and Montague Kern examines the rhetoric of public policy issues in mass media elections. In the final section, Robert Sahr and Patrick O'Heffernan discuss mass media and U.S. foreign policy processes in two chapters, and Holli Semetko and Edie Goldenberg examine how AIDS reporters in several countries use the media to affect policymaking.

A military is the most significant tool of a nation's foreign policy, and (hopefully) the tool of last resort. Yet the control a civilian leader has over the military is, in many respects, an encumbered and fractured control. The military's organizational culture, role in society, size, and considerable autonomy are potential obstacles to true civilian control over the military even in peacetime. A brief but historically informed text intended for students of the presidency or national security, Governing the Military addresses the gamut of challenges a new U.S. President faces as commander-in-chief.

Since its initial publication, this book has become the classic work on every important element of the tumultuous national gun debate in America. This new edition brings together the latest developments and research in gun politics, policy, law, history, and criminology to provide a comprehensive and accessible source widely used by scholars, journalists, and in classrooms. In this era of polarized politics, this book provides a unique window into how and why that polarization drives our politics. Among the new topics covered in this edition are the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, new Supreme Court protections for concealed carry permits, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on gun violence and policy. New to the Ninth Edition • Examines current gun control legislation at both state and federal levels, particularly the circumstances that lead to the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022. • Introduces the new constitutional standards for gun control legislation set by the controversial, pro-Second Amendment Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). • Provides expanded and updated consideration on related issues including: the rise of "gun carry" movements on college campuses, attempts to regulate "ghost guns," bump stocks and guns with high capacity magazines, .50 caliber sniper rifles, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6 Capitol Attack, and the Black Lives Matter movement on contemporary gun control debates. • Tracks the financial, political, and legal crises that threaten the dominance of the National Rifle Association and examines the rise of new gun rights groups, such as the National Association for Gun Rights. • Presents new and updated statistical research on gun ownership in America, gun-related fatalities, public opinion support of "red-flag" laws and other gun control measures. • Incorporates new pedagogical features of chapter summaries and discussion questions into each chapter.

A military is the most significant tool of a nation's foreign policy, and (hopefully) the tool of last resort. Yet the control a civilian leader has over the military is, in many respects, an encumbered and fractured control. The military's organizational culture, role in society, size, and considerable autonomy are potential obstacles to true civilian control over the military even in peacetime. A brief but historically informed text intended for students of the presidency or national security, Governing the Military addresses the gamut of challenges a new U.S. President faces as commander-in-chief.

An informed and sophisticated look at the current debate between gun laws and gun rights in America. Contemporary gun controversies are deeply rooted in our history, yet much of that history is unknown, ignored, or distorted. This is all the more important because a new gun rights movement is pressing to expand the definition of gun rights well beyond the standard set by the Supreme Court in its landmark, controversial Heller ruling from 2008. These activists' efforts have found a receptive audience among a new generation of very conservative federal judges cultivated in part for their professed adherence to the doctrine of constitutional Originalism and fealty to an expansive reading of gun rights. In The Gun Dilemma, Robert J. Spitzer examines this "gun rights 2.0" movement in the light of a host of gun controversies: assault weapons, ammunition magazines, silencers, public gun brandishing and display, and the emergent Second Amendment sanctuary movement. Given the importance of actual gun law history to this debate, Spitzer draws from the historical record to illuminate several contemporary and emergent gun controversies that may well make their way to the Supreme Court. Revealing and illuminating as that history is, he argues that we should not be straitjacketed by that history, but rather informed by it as the nation struggles with how to frame its gun policies. By utilizing novel information sources to explore both gun law history and current debates, The Gun Dilemma provides an informed and sophisticated challenge to the ascendant originalists who appear to be set on enshrining in law a radical libertarian vision of gun rights.

This book is a sweeping indictment of the legal profession in the realm of constitutional interpretation. The adversarial, advocacy-based American legal system is well suited to American justice, in which one-sided arguments collide to produce a just outcome. But when applied to constitutional theorizing, the result is selective analysis, overheated rhetoric, distorted facts, and overstated conclusions. Such wayward theorizing finds its way into print in the nation's over 600 law journals - professional publications run by law students, not faculty or other professionals - and peer review is almost never used to evaluate worthiness. The consequences of this system are examined through three timely cases: the presidential veto, the "unitary theory" of the president's commander-in-chief power, and the Second Amendment's "right to bear arms." In each case, law reviews were the breeding ground for defective theories that won false legitimacy and political currency. This book concludes with recommendations for reform.

The Politics of Gun Control is a gem: the unique case study that delves into a controversial topic students know something about--or at least have an opinion on--while raising important issues and questions about how the American political system works. Now in its fourth edition, this authoritative and fair-minded analysis of the gun control debate in the United States analyzes every important aspect of the controversy, including its history; the Constitutional right to bear arms; the criminological consequences of guns; and the role and impact of American governing institutions, interest groups, political parties, public opinion, and more. This fourth edition incorporates new research on the pro-gun control movement, the lapse of the assault weapons ban, Congress's enactment of liability protection for gun manufacturers, and renewed efforts to expand gun carrying and gun use at the state level, including, most importantly, the enactment of "shoot first" laws in over a dozen states. Whether it is used in American politics or public policy courses, this case study provides an engaging and clear-minded look at one of the most enduringly contentious and compelling issues in American politics.

With the incredible popularity of recent books championing agnosticism or atheism, many people might never know that such books almost completely ignore the considerable evidence for theism uncovered in both physics and philosophy over the past four decades. New Proofs for the Existence of God responds to these glaring omissions. From universal space-time asymmetry to cosmic coincidences to the intelligibility of reality, Robert Spitzer tackles a wealth of evidence. He considers string theory, quantum cosmology, mathematical thoughts on infinity, and much more. This fascinating and stunning collection of evidence provides solid grounding for reasonable and responsible belief in a super-intelligent, transcendent, creative power standing at the origins of our universe.