A provocative history that reveals how guns—not abortion, race, or religion—are at the heart of America's cultural divide.
Gunfight promises to be a seminal work in its examination of America's four-centuries-long political battle over gun control and the right to bear arms. In the tradition of Gideon's Trumpet, Adam Winkler uses the landmark 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, which invalidated a law banning handguns in the nation's capital, as a springboard for a groundbreaking historical narrative. From the Founding Fathers and the Second Amendment to the origins of the Klan, ironically as a gun control organization, the debate over guns has always generated controversy. Whether examining the Black Panthers' role in provoking the modern gun rights movement or Ronald Reagan's efforts to curtail gun ownership, Winkler brilliantly weaves together the dramatic stories of gun rights advocates and gun control lobbyists, providing often unexpected insights into the venomous debate that now cleaves our nation. 20 black-and-white illustrations
Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“In Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America, Adam Winkler tells the remarkable story of the rag-tag group of libertarian lawyers who challenged nearly a century of lower-court precedent to bring a clear-cut Second Amendment case to the Supreme Court.
This is an engaging and provocative legal drama about the six-year courtroom journey of District of Columbia v Heller and a fascinating survey of the misunderstood history of guns and gun control in America.” (Wall Street Journal )
“A succinct and fascinating introduction to the legal and historical issues at the heart of the gun debate.” (Eric Arnesen, professor of history at George Washington University and fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Chicago Tribune )
This is an engaging and provocative legal drama about the six-year courtroom journey of District of Columbia v Heller and a fascinating survey of the misunderstood history of guns and gun control in America.” (Wall Street Journal )
“A succinct and fascinating introduction to the legal and historical issues at the heart of the gun debate.” (Eric Arnesen, professor of history at George Washington University and fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Chicago Tribune )
About the Author
Adam Winkler, a professor of constitutional law at the University of California, Los Angeles, has been featured on CNN and in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the New Republic. A columnist for the Daily Beast, he lives in Los Angeles.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 39 people found the following review helpful
By Richard Burt
Format:Hardcover
This is a highly informative account, and expert analysis, of the tension between the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (the right to keep and bear arms) and gun control. Adam Winkler, the author, is a constitutional law professor who is able to explain important legal principles in a way that makes them easy for the non-expert to understand. More important, however, he knows how to engage the reader and make a book about a policy debate fascinating.
Winkler starts with case of District of Columbia v. Heller as it is about to be announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008, and he then describes how the case was conceived, litigated, and finally decided. District of Columbia v. Heller is the case in which the Supreme Court held for the first time that the Second Amendment protects individual ownership of firearms and in which the District of Columbia's prohibition on private ownership of handguns was struck down as unconstitutional. As Winkler goes through the history of the case, he weaves in valuable historical context for the adoption of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and early gun control measures, why they were adopted, and the development of the NRA's policy on the Second Amendment (its vociferousness is recent, dating to the late seventies).
The book is devoid of the aspersions on one faction or another that are so common in books on gun control. Winkler so fairly and accurately outlines the point of view of each faction in the debate over gun control that when he describes your point of view (whatever that may be) you can say "Yeah, he got that right!" and when he describes that of those you don't agree with, you can say it again.
Of course, if you get upset when a book doesn't come down squarely in favor of your position in the debate (and savage the other side for its obvious idiocy), save yourself some grief. For everyone else, if you have any interest at all in constitutional law or the gun control debate, you will find this book entertaining and worthwhile.
Winkler starts with case of District of Columbia v. Heller as it is about to be announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008, and he then describes how the case was conceived, litigated, and finally decided. District of Columbia v. Heller is the case in which the Supreme Court held for the first time that the Second Amendment protects individual ownership of firearms and in which the District of Columbia's prohibition on private ownership of handguns was struck down as unconstitutional. As Winkler goes through the history of the case, he weaves in valuable historical context for the adoption of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and early gun control measures, why they were adopted, and the development of the NRA's policy on the Second Amendment (its vociferousness is recent, dating to the late seventies).
The book is devoid of the aspersions on one faction or another that are so common in books on gun control. Winkler so fairly and accurately outlines the point of view of each faction in the debate over gun control that when he describes your point of view (whatever that may be) you can say "Yeah, he got that right!" and when he describes that of those you don't agree with, you can say it again.
Of course, if you get upset when a book doesn't come down squarely in favor of your position in the debate (and savage the other side for its obvious idiocy), save yourself some grief. For everyone else, if you have any interest at all in constitutional law or the gun control debate, you will find this book entertaining and worthwhile.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Patrick
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you've been looking for an analysis on gun control in America from an all-too-rare neutral viewpoint then Gun Control hits the spot. I'll leave it to the others to go more in depth concerning the details; however, I'd like to point something out concerning the those who wrote negative reviews. Most are clearly from the anti-gun control side who consider this book to the pro-gun control. I find it difficult to come to that conclusion. The whole point of the book (made time and time again) is to demonstrate that for as long as people have had guns there has been gun control laws proposed and/or in effect. Whether these laws were rational or effective isn't the, really, the point. Instead, it is to give some idea of the history and logic used to form those laws. If you consider this information to be an endorsement of gun control laws, well, I can't help you there.
Really, Winkler walks on eggshells the whole book not to come down on one side or the other concerning this debate. It's pretty hard to contort the information in this book into a recommendation for gun control. To say that such an analysis screams of bias in an understatement.
P.S. This review was written by an owner of multiple firearms (of the extremely "tactical" variety).
Really, Winkler walks on eggshells the whole book not to come down on one side or the other concerning this debate. It's pretty hard to contort the information in this book into a recommendation for gun control. To say that such an analysis screams of bias in an understatement.
P.S. This review was written by an owner of multiple firearms (of the extremely "tactical" variety).
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By RWW
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Whether you are for or against gun legislation, this book is for you. Be forewarned, there will be times it looks like the book is supporting one side, then other times where it seems to be supporting the other. It's not going to change your opinion, but that's not really the intent of the book. Rather, it helps to make your views better informed by showing the history of the changes in attitudes over the years, and their causes. The book uses the recent Supreme Court case dealing with the handgun ban in Washington D.C. to guide you through America's history starting with Pre-Revolution to present day. It will show how the Second Amendment, and laws and government attitudes since it's ratification, support both controls and liberties. It's not a tit-for-tat presentation. In other words, the book will not say if you look at this it shows support for individual rights but if you look at this it shows support for stricter laws. Rather, it looks at one period at a time and how it influences American views at the time. I definitely recommend this book to everybody, because whatever your stance, it will educate you on our history, and make you better informed on both sides of the argument.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Moderate View of Gun Control
Winkler's handling of the subject is even handed. An important flaw in his "there's always been gun control" mantra is a failing to capture the spirit of the times. Read more
Published 17 days ago by douglas s fletcher
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very informative, not very ideological on either side of this hot...
An informative, and relatively non-ideological, book about the history of gun rights and gun control in America. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Erik A. Saltwell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended!
This is a great book and highly recommended. The author gives us a lot of information about the complicated issues in understanding the second amendment, shows that there has been... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Anthony Lawson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gunfight--The Battle over the Rigth to Bear Arms in America--a good...
GUNFIGHT--THE BATTLE OVER THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS IN AMERICA (2011) by Adam Winkler who is a professor at UCLA Law School specializing in Constitutional Law. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Steven J. Torrey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good, but with some omissions.
There's a lot to like in Gun Fight. Winkler,a professor of law, knows the history of gun control more than anyone I've read. His account of the challenges to D.C. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Balanced Treatment
This book gives a balanced treatment to a divisive and emotional subject that rarely receives unbiased analysis in the media.
Published 1 month ago by AUGUST SCHNEIDERHEINZ
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow
This gives an unbiased explaination of the right to bear arms. It is not trying to convince the reader to be pro or con. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Diane C., Goelz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very accessible
This isn't a dry book. It goes over the history of gun control in an easy to read story that makes it a light, compelling read. I was surprised I finished it so fast.
Published 2 months ago by Markus
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gunfight
I believe gives a fair appraisal of our national discussion over the 2nd Amendment and gun rights. People from both points of view
will find much to disagree with but I... Read more
will find much to disagree with but I... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Charlsd Young
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Adam Winkler's excellent and highly detailed book tells the story of how gun controls have always existed in America along with gun-owning privileges. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Steven
