This book critically examines the link between guns and violence. It weighs the value of guns for self-protection against the adverse effects of gun ownership and carrying. It also analyses the role of public opinion, the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, and the firearms industry and lobby in impeding efforts to prevent gun violence.
Confronting Gun Violence in America explores solutions to the gun violence problem in America, a country where 90 people die from gunshot wounds every day. The wide-range of solutions assessed include: a national gun licensing system; universal background checks; a ban on military-style weapons; better regulatory oversight of the gun industry; the use of technologies, such as the personalization of weapons; child access prevention; repealing laws that encourage violence; changing violent norms; preventing retaliatory violence; and strategies to rebuild American communities. This accessible and incisive book will be of great interest to students and researchers in criminology and sociology, as well as practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in gun ownership and violence.

Suggests a bold national strategy to reduce gun violence

Part I. The Scale of America's Gun Problem.- Chapter 1. America's Gun Violence Problem.- Chapter 2. Gun Ownership in the United States.- Part II. Harms Associated with Firearms.- Chapter 3. Gun Deaths: The United States Versus the World.- Chapter 4. Homicide and the Instrumentality Effect.- Chapter 5. Mass Shootings: An Escalating Threat.- Chapter 6. Suicide: Impact of Lethal Methods.- Chapter 7. Unintentional Deaths: Unavoidable or Preventable?.- Chapter 8. The Deadliest States.- Part III. Guns as a Means of Self-Defense.- Chapter 9. Armed Self-Defense 1: The Number of Defensive Gun Uses.- Chapter 10. Armed Self-Defense II: Protection or Hazard?.- Part IV. Obstacles to Gun Violence Prevention Efforts.- Chapter 11. The Firearms Industry: Guns as a Business.- Chapter 12. The "Guns Everywhere" Movement.- Chapter 13. Public Opinion: An Impediment to Reform?.- Chapter 14. Slogans Relating to Gun Violence: Fact or Fiction?.- Chapter 15. The Second Amendment: Is Gun Regulation Compatible with the Constitution?.- Part V. Preventing Gun Violence.- Chapter 16. A National Strategy for Preventing Gun Violence.