Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control (Social Institutions and Social Change Series) 1st Edition

by Gary Kleck (Editor)

17 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0202305691

ISBN-10: 0202305694

Why is ISBN important?

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers

from

Other Sellers

See all 7 versions

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Yellow Square Books

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

29 used from $2.95

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon or get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Tuesday, April 13 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Monday, April 12 Details

In stock on April 8, 2021.
Order it now.

Sold by Probetis Books and Fulfilled by Amazon.

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

List Price: $52.95 Details

Save: $13.05 (25%)

16 new from $39.90

FREE delivery: April 16 - 18 Details

Fastest delivery: April 10 - 14

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

This new paperback comprehensively reviews the research evidence on the links between guns, violence, and gun control, and reports results of the author's own research as well. In Targeting Guns, Kleck follows the line of argument and careful statistical inference of his earlier prizewinning volume, Point Blank, while updating the literature reviews and statistical information, and adding two chapters.

Frequently bought together

Total price: $234.78

These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control (Social Institutions and Social Change Series) by Gary Kleck Paperback $39.90
In stock on April 8, 2021.
Order it now.
Sold by Probetis Books and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
FREE Shipping. Details
Armed: New Perspectives on Gun Control by Gary Kleck (20-Jul-2001) Hardcover Hardcover $194.88
In stock.
Ships from and sold by Planet Bookstore.

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

2
Hardcover
$194.88
Dr John R Lott Jr
200
Paperback
$14.99
Gary Kleck
14
Paperback
$52.52
Robert Taylor
36
Paperback
$162.99
Marc Riedel
41
Paperback
$75.95
Cindy L. Miller-Perrin
91
Paperback
$85.00

Special offers and product promotions

Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Targeting Guns is an updated and revised version of Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America (Aldine de Gruyter, 1991), which established Gary Kleck as the foremost sociologist doing research on gun control and as a favorite of the American Rifle Association. Targeting Guns will maintain Kleck’s esteemed position in the academic world; however, it will take him down at least a notch or two in the eyes of the ARA and others ardently opposed to gun control—because even though he systematically rebuts most of the research touted by gun-control advocates, he eventually does make a case for some limited forms of gun control.”

—Gregg Lee Carter, Social Forces

About the Author

Gary Kleck is professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University. He is the author of Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control and coauthor, with Don Kates, of The Great American Gun Debate and Armed: New Perspectives on Gun Control. His articles have been published in several journals, including the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Social Problems, Criminology, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Law & Society Review.

Start reading Targeting Guns instantly on your Kindle Fire or on the free Kindle apps for iPad, Android tablet, PC or Mac. Don't have a free Kindle app? Get yours here

Product details

Publisher : Routledge; 1st edition (December 31, 1997)
Language : English
Paperback : 468 pages
ISBN-10 : 0202305694
ISBN-13 : 978-0202305691
Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
Dimensions : 1.05 x 6 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,495,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,547 in Suicide (Books)
- #1,584 in Criminology (Books)
- #2,108 in Law Enforcement Politics

Customer Reviews:
17 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		72%
4 star		4%
3 star		25%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

BJD

Best Study I have found on Gun Controle and it's effects.

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is by far the most comprehensive study on gun legislation I have read.
Very good book. Very Logical. Clear & precise.

If you believe Gun legislation works to reduce crime this book will show you how you might wind up dead wrong.

If you are locked in debates with people who arue on their emotions about gun bans this book will give you the facts and studies to prove them wrong.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kardan

Excellent research, analysis and historical perspective.

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent research, analysis and historical perspective.

Helpful

Chaz Forsyth

A scholarly presentation of a potentially divisive topic performed by ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

A scholarly presentation of a potentially divisive topic performed by a recognised authority on the procedures required for such analytical work.

Helpful

waverider

Where are all the NAZI gun control apologists??????? Kleck got your tongue?????

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

Where are the leftist NAZIs refutations???? Oh that's right, I remember, their dogma has been shot down within the pages of "Targeting". Along with your weapon of choice open carry this book whenever leaving your house as it will provide a better defense than an arsenal of weapons against those voting americans so psychotic they refuse to acknowledge that every sentient life form has a right to defend themselves with whatever defensive mechanisms are available.Even apes are known to utilize implements as weapons for aggression and defense - even among their own. Law abiding defenders of the 2nd amd. virtually never use weapons for aggression, only for defense. Honest scholars such as Kleck are outnumbered hundreds to one as even other criminologists, sociologists and the medical community are so insanely leftist they avidly lie and obfuscate data which refutes their mommy issue laden ideology. Klecks fortitude should be especially revered since Kleck himself seems to lie to the ideological left of center on most other issues. For the realists stats on gun control are incidental since it is the 2nd amd that is the underlying right supporting self defense. This book does a better job than any other to confirm the truth and intelligence displayed by our founders when they sought to enshrine the principle of the right to keep and bear arms. I revel in the scientifically demonstrated fact that it only takes one honest man to belie the ideology of every so called scholarly gun control extremist. America thanks you Gary Kleck, your brilliance and perseverance for the truth is appreciated more than words could ever express.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Dale Franks

Where Science and Ideology Disagree

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2001

Gary Kleck is a Liberal. He is, by his own admission, a member of the ACLU, Amnesty International, Independent Action, Democrats 2000, and Common Cause, among other politically liberal organizations. He is a life-long registered Democrat, as well as a regular contributor to Democratic Party candidates.
He must be an awful disappointment to many of his fellow liberals.
Because, you see, in addition to being all those other things, he is also a criminologist and professor at Florida State University; a scientist who believes empirical evidence and research are more important than dogmatic ideology.
In Targeting Guns, he deomnstrates that the best available empirical evidence is that attempts at gun control legislation are, by and large, either futile, or self-defeating.
In this closely reasoned, scholarly work, Kleck debunks many of the myths of gun control, and concludes that, for the most part, the political rationale for gun control--and the majority of gun control legislation--is seriously flawed. To reach these conclusions, Kleck looks closely at the links between guns, violence, suicide, and gun control, and sums up the relevant research in these areas.
Kleck describes the central--and seemingly commonsensical--rationale for gun control, which is that disarming people will be beneficial, because guns are dangerous, and their use elevates the possibility that a victim of violence will die. He then painstakingly shows why this rationale rests on a simplified and ultimately incorrect assumption about the role of weaponry in violence. He shows why this role is so much more complex than some assume, as well as showing the beneficial aspects of gun ownership among the general populace.
Kleck concludes by suggesting some commonsense gun control measures that DO appear to work in reducing violent crime, or at least, ARMED violent crime by reducing criminal access to guns.
Targeting guns is not, unfortunately, easily accessible by a general audience, but Kleck has done his best to make it so. Nevertheless, it is heavily footnoted, and the text is often broken up by a variety of data tables. The issue of gun control is quite complex, and resists being broken down into easily digestible morsels. But those who make the effort will be rewarded, and at the very least, be encouraged to think more rationally about this somewhat divisive and emotional issue.
The importance of that cannot be overstated.

62 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ross Nordeen

A dry but comprehensive overview of gun control studies

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2002

This is an update of Kleck's earlier book, "Point Blank", which won the Michael J. Hindelang Award in 1993. The award is given by the American Society of Criminology annually for a book published during the previous two to three years that makes the most outstanding contribution to research in criminology.
Even if you disagree with Kleck's conclusions, "Targeting Guns" is an essential addition to your library if you are interested in the issue of gun control. No other book gives such a detailed and comprehensive overview of the research that has been done on this subject.

16 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Interesting reference book, though somewhat dry

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2000

Kleck has but together quite a useful overview of the research on guns. I liked the detailed discussions of the existing literature, and, as a nonacademic, I did not find it too difficult to read. ...
On the survey data, I wish that Kleck would have dealt more with the survey data about offensive gun use. I also wish that he could explain why his survey data does not imply a net benefit from using guns.
My only real complaint on the quality of the writing is that too much of the book is such and such shows this and such and such shows that and .... This is fine if the book is to serve as a reference source. It is not too thrilling to have to read through.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

DaveM720

Impressive Work

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2010

Verified Purchase

I have read dozens of books on various firearm issues. Too many of these books are simply shoddy propaganda. Looking for answers, I keep searching. Gary Kleck's work is truly a breath of fresh air. I can see why the technical version of this book for professionals in his field won awards from the American Society of Criminology. If you are looking for an objective and comprehensive analysis of gun related issues, you will not find a better book.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Graham C

High Quality Review of the Evidence.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2019

Verified Purchase

A quote by Gary Kleck from the book: “Perhaps the greatest obstacle to acquiring an understanding of the facts surrounding the gun control debate is the firm conviction of many on both sides that most of the critical facts are self-evident. Is it not indisputable that the availability of guns increases the homicide rate and plays a large role in America's high violence rates? How could the possession and use of deadly weapons NOT raise the murder rate? Alternatively, is it not obvious that widespread private gun ownership deters crime? The debaters begin with premises that are so thoroughly taken for granted that they never consider evaluating them.”

For those of you looking for a place to start your own investigation into the question of the true relationship between guns and violence I recommend this book. It is a comprehensive review of research by many of the leading people in the field and includes the results of the authors own research. The author discusses the various methods of research used in this field, the problems associated with their use and the pitfalls researchers have fallen into that have often led the researcher to come to a conclusion that later work has proven to be incorrect. He also discusses the misleading ways many pro gun control advocates have used research to further their ends.

The author answers many questions among which are: do people with a “more lethal intent” choose a gun, if available, over a knife so giving the impression that guns are more dangerous then knives; does the presence of a weapon trigger violent feelings in those present; does the availability of a gun increase the level of suicides and what types of gun laws work and which don’t. He also talks about problems with interpreting public survey results.

Don’t think that because this book was published in 1997 that it is no longer relevant. While researchers like Dr John Lott and others have published more up to date books in the field this book answers many of the questions relevant to deciding whether and which gun control laws work and which don’t. This book answers the “premises that are so thoroughly taken for granted” in the authors quote and gives the pro-gun side high quality ammunition against the propaganda and misused statistics of the anti-gunners.

Gary Mauser

Everyone should read this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2015

Verified Purchase

Gary Kleck, an award winning criminologist, has clearly written the best book on firearms, violence, and gun control. Every one interested in understanding the link between guns and crime, guns and suicide, or the effectiveness of gun control laws should read it.

See all reviews

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control (Social Institutions and Social Change Series) 1st Edition

Buy used: $17.94

Buy new: $39.90

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customers who bought this item also bought

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Buy used:

$17.94

Buy new:

$39.90