People For and Against Gun Control: A Biographical Reference (The Greenwood Press "People Making a Difference" Series) [Hardcover]

Marjolijn Bijlefeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0313306907 | ISBN-13: 978-0313306907

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“No other title is quite like this biographical reference work, and the topic is a perennial student favorite; recommended therefore for all high school and undergraduate collections.”–Choice

“The book presents an objective an interesting view of both sides of this issue. Even students who resist research projects will find themselves intrigued with the notion of examining an issue through the eyes of those who, for many different reasons, find themselves at the core of one of the most passionate debates of our era. This is a must-have for the reference collection. Consider other titles in the series as well.... Highly Recommended.”–The Book Report

“The value of this work is that it presents gun control issues from a different perspective than what students usually find available. The profiles are well written and compelling; they enable the student to consider a reasoned presentation of an opposing viewpoint. It would be particularly helpful for students taking a pro or con side in the gun control debate. Although recommended for school and college libraries, it would also be useful for public libraries where interest in the subject is high.”–American Reference Books Annual

“Students...will find this a splendid resource.”–VOYA

“For students researching current U.S. firearms policies, many sources are available, but few offer [this book's] insight into the people who impacted gun control, firearms education and legislation....The easy-to-read text is suitable for older teenagers and adult researchers.”–Today's Librarian

“Who are the people behind the gun control headlines? High school students are doing countless reports debating the issues, but do they understand that these issues are the result of people whose deep-seated experiences have turned them toward advocacy either for or against this hot issues?...This is an essential reference in high schools where this hot topic is being considered.”–Reference for Students -- GaleGroup.com Reviews

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press (September 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313306907
• ISBN-13: 978-0313306907
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,075,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Putting human faces on the great gun control debate, December 27, 2000

By 

Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D. (Macon, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: People For and Against Gun Control: A Biographical Reference (The Greenwood Press "People Making a Difference" Series) (Hardcover)

This biographical reference book on "the key figures in the gun control debate today" delivers arguments and counterarguments on the meaning of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Americans' right to keep and bear arms. This book puts human faces on the argumentation. The figures featured in the reference book came from different backgrounds and disciplines, law, medicine, academics, law enforcement and plain mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, etc. who have become, because of their own experience, activists in the great debate. Ms. Bijlefeld has dealt adeptly and in a neutral manner with this debate, a debate on which the contestants often argue hotly and emotionally. She should be applauded for her efforts, for this book belongs in the hands of all of those involved in the debate, as well as politicians, teachers, journalists, and in all of the public libraries, as an invaluable source of reference. Some of the personalities featured in this book on the pro-gun side, Neal Knox, Gary Kleck, David Kopel, Don B. Kates, Sheriff Jay Printz, Suzanna Gratia Hupp, etc, contrast greatly, as can be imagined with those on the gun control camp headed by James and Sarah Brady, Carolyn McCarthy, Garen Wintemute, Phillip J. Cook, etc.

The volume contains fifty stories, biographical sketches of these figures. The tome is well and concisely written, and for those of you not previously introduced to this debate, I suspect, the author is correct that the reader will experience a range of emotions and many "will change their minds several times over" before coming to an informed conclusion. The well researched indices contain a summary of federal and state firearm laws (e.g., what bans are in effect in certain states, which states require registration, etc.), and various other compilations and sources of reference.

As one of the participants in the debate, I can categorically state she was fair, as fair as one can be, in her difficult task of writing this sort of book. One point that should be made is that in the months since the publication of this book, public opinion has decisively swung toward less gun control and more crime control. This was reflected in the polls taken during the presidential campaign and, the relatively mild tone of Vice President Al Gore, who wanted more gun control laws, versus Texas Governor George W. Bush, who wanted to enforce existing laws and not implementation of further restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms by ordinary Americans. Sensing this, Al Gore wisely and uncharacteristically remained quiet on this issue in the final days of the Presidential Election, but the damage was done. Given the economic prosperity, peace, and stability, he should have won the election. The fear of many Americans of losing their gun rights may have contributed to his defeat. Ms. Bijlefeld's magnum opus should be a good starting point for those readers not yet initiated in the gun debate as well as those of us who have been baptized in the fire of this controversy and desire to know more about our intellectual adversaries.

Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D. is Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Sentinel of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), and author of Vandals at the Gates of Medicine (1995) and Medical Warrior: Fighting Corporate Socialized Medicine (1997).