This two-volume collection brings together 129 essential primary sources for understanding the history and evolution of gun rights and gun control in the USA from the colonial era to the present.
Every featured document is accompanied by explanatory materials that help readers understand the social and political context in which it appeared. Utilizing a blend of important political speeches, Supreme Court opinions, agency reports, and congressional testimony, this set provides readers with a front-row seat to observe the complex and often-surprising evolution of gun ownership, gun culture, and gun politics in the USA. This fascinating history is examined through primary source documents covering centuries of American history, from colonial laws regulating firearms, through the era of Prohibition and the rise of organized crime, to congressional hearings on gun control in the wake of the 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The set includes 19 new primary sources that shine a spotlight on notable events in the debate over guns since the first edition was published in 2016, including important developments during the first Trump presidency, the pandemic, and the opening years of the Biden administration.

eBook - PDF
Gun Politics in America
Historical and Modern Documents in Context [2 volumes]
- 747 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
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Table of contents
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- Chronology
- Chapter 1: Guns in a Frontier Nation
- Chapter 2: Firearms Regulations in the Post–Civil War South and the Western Frontier
- Chapter 3: Prohibition-Era Violence Brings Federal Gun Control
- Chapter 4: The Tumult of the Sixties Brings a New Politics of Confrontation
- Chapter 5: Intensifying Divisions over Gun Control during the Reagan Years
- Chapter 6: The Partisan Divide over Guns Widens in the 1990s
- Chapter 7: Legal Victories for Gun Rights in an Era of Mass Killings and Declining Crime
- Chapter 8: Presidential Priorities, Crime Rate Changes, and a Pandemic
- Chronology
- About the Author
- Index
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Yes, you can access Gun Politics in America by Harry L. Wilson in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Public Law. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.