A Well Regulated Militia: The Battle Over Gun Conrol [Hardcover]

William Weir (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Weir's analysis of gun control is objective and well documented. After tracing the history of militias-private citizens with arms who made themselves available to government in times of crisis-he argues that the continuing contest in the U.S. is predominantly an emotional one, with phony statistics presented by pro-gun and anti-gun advocates alike. But while the National Rifle Association and its allies are able to deluge legislators with letters and telegrams, they often come off sounding paranoid; the Handgun Control Inc. faction, on the other hand-Weir is a member of both groups-adopts a tone of reasonableness and so wins the public-relations battle. Weir's nation-by-nation and state-by-state survey, however, suggests that there is little correlation between gun ownership or gun control laws and murder rates. Crimes involving guns, he argues, are infrequent in stable societies where there is a fairly equitable distribution of wealth and "a reasonable opportunity to advance socially and economically." Weir's message is that the propaganda of both the pro- and the anti-gun advocates can be ignored if we concentrate on building a more equitable society. He is the author of In the Shadow of the Dope Fiend.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Rely on former journalist Weir to take a controversial subject and make it more so. In the Shadow of the Dope Fiend (1995) tore apart the War on Drugs, tracing the distorted public policy and brutal but money-gushing black market that decades of criminalization have produced. Here, he jumps into the cross fire of the gun control debate, challenging the arguments of "anti-gunners" and "gunners" alike and arguing that the issue constitutes "snake oil" and "Band-Aids," a diversion from the "radical surgery" --changes in tax laws, welfare and other social services, housing policy, etc.--needed to give the poorest Americans a stake in society. A member of both Handgun Control, Inc., and the National Rifle Association, Weir will anger both with his pointed critiques of the surveys and statistics they wield. He takes a hard look at militias: the history of such forces in the U.S. and their use in other nations, particularly Switzerland. In the end, he insists, gun availability can't explain American violence; social and economic tension and inequality do. Mary Carroll

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 309 pages
• Publisher: Archon Books (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0208024239
• ISBN-13: 978-0208024237
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,463,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Current Events > Gun Control

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thoroughly Documented Look At The Hysteria On Both Sides., July 23, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Well Regulated Militia: The Battle Over Gun Conrol (Hardcover)

The amount of research Mr. Weir has put into this work is truly astounding, especially given the almost mindless parroting heard from both sides of the gun control debate. I am admittedly very much against gun control, but his points about the NRA and other organizations are clear and undeniable. Whether you favor or oppose gun control in America you need to read this book. The well documented numbers and historical background data will be useful to all. and their easy availability in one text is sure to bring a bit of sanity to what has been an insane battle of lies and exageration for too many years.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars POLITICS AND GUNSMr. Weir, March 23, 2001

By 

BOB HUGHES (Yuma, Az.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Well Regulated Militia: The Battle Over Gun Conrol (Hardcover)

Mr Weir, while doing great work on the research end, has seemingly decided to use this important debate as yet another forum to advance socialist causes. The author uses both sides as "Boogey Men" and goes on to blame economic factors as the cause of all evil. I believe the author would have made his case better if he had concentrated more upon the spiritual, moral, and family decay that has occured over the last fourty years. Also, he may have wanted to review the "Federalist Papers" prior to writing his book. Thank You.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lose Guns, Gain Crime, February 26, 2002

By 

Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Well Regulated Militia: The Battle Over Gun Conrol (Hardcover)

This book explains why criminals will always have guns; why armed citizens reduce crime, and do not increase murders; and why gun prohibition would increase crime and create major new criminal activity. The history of "gun control" goes back thousands of years, long before guns were invented. Kings and the aristocracy have always tried to limit popular access to weapons in order to oppress the common people. The one exception is arming the people to avoid defeat by a foreign power; afterwards they are quickly disarmed.

Page 13 explains why the American militia differed from the English: all the men would be armed, and they elected their officers. Indian wars went on for 400 years, and there were wars with the French, Spanish, and Dutch empires. Hunting game was part of everyday life in America; game belonged to everyone. As noted in Aristotrle's 'Politics', armed citizens led to popular government in the colonies.

The Second Amendment, like the English Bill of Rights, rejected the idea of a collective right in favor of an individual right (p.32). Whenever the right of the people to keep and bear arms is prohibited, liberty is on the brink of destruction.

The book discusses many topics. Page 107 exposes the subtle lies put into the "Brady II" bill. By requiring a minimum weight for a pistol, and then restricting the number of cartridges in a magazine, it would outlaw almost all handguns. Page 111 tells how the Morton Grove Ill. ban on handguns originated as a way to keep out competition to an existing store! Page 118 tells how crime sky-rocketed after passage of the 1968 Gun Control Act. Guns are more common than swimming pools, but more drown in swimming pools than die in gun accidents (p.120).

"The Politics of Scaring the Public" (p.125) points out that TV news is always showing victims on TV, while most viewers may have never seen as much as a fistfight for years! The number of crime shows on TV may have resulted in the public's perception (not reality!) of polls reporting crime as the most important problem - or the feeling that there's too many lawyers!

What is the true effect of "gun control"? The worst homicide rates tend to be among the cities and states with the most restrictive laws; the states with no or few few gun laws (SD, VT) are the safest. The hidden agenda of the Gun Prohibitionists is to create more crime and violence in order to create a more oppressive society. Instead of a Reichstag fire, imagine a jumbo jet crashing into a Washington building?

Prior to 1977 Canada had almost no "gun control", and much lower homicide rate. After they severely restricted pistols, the Canadian homicide rate grew closer to the USA rate (p.247).

Stable societies with a fairly equitable distribution of wealth, and opportunities to advance, make a peaceful society (p.262). Nations with high homicide rates do not have these qualities. If you want America to be as peaceful as Sweden or Switzerland, you will need the same "gun control" laws as in these countries. The final chapter lists what must be done to reduce the crime rate. But the powerful special interests will prevent this from happening until more people unite to overcome these forces.