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Encyclopedia
The Gun Debate: An Encyclopedia of Gun Rights and Gun Control in the United States by Glenn UtterWith public debate of gun violence at an all-time high, this new third edition of The Gun Debate: An Encyclopedia of Gun Control & Gun Rights is a must-have resource for all libraries. Over 350 entries provide in-depth coverage of both sides of the gun debate. Updated and expanded coverage includes new entries on recent gun laws and legislation, coverage of mass shootings and gun incidents, plus new information from the groups who support gun rights, and those who support gun control in the United States. Content is arranged using a balanced and unbiased approach to this controversial issue. Easy-to-use A-Z format, with numerous cross-references. Detailed Preface and Introduction provide the reader with a useful background to the gun debate in America. Expanded Primary Documents Section, including speeches, articles, and legislation surrounding the gun debate. Appendix 1: State Constitutional Gun Rights Provisions & Stand Your Ground laws. Appendix 2: Statutory and Constitutional Provisions Relating to the Purchase, Ownership, and Use of Firearms. Appendix 3: List of Organizations. Updated Chronology, now including key 2016 legislation and shooting incidents. Bibliography, Subject Index & New Category Index. Available in print and ebook formats. Combining the history of this important issue with current events and current viewpoints, this new third edition will be an important addition to public, university and high school libraries.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2016 (3rd ed.)
Books
Armed in America: A History of Gun Rights from Colonial Militias to Concealed Carry by Patrick J. CharlesThis accessible legal history describes how the Second Amendment has been interpreted throughout most of American history and shows that today's gun-rights advocates have drastically departed from the long-held interpretation of the constitutional right to bear arms. This illuminating study traces the transformation of the right to arms from its inception in English and colonial American law to today's impassioned gun-control debate. As historian and legal scholar Patrick J. Charles shows, what the right to arms means to Americans, as well as what it legally protects, has changed drastically since its first appearance in the 1689 Declaration of Rights. Armed in America explores how and why the right to arms transformed at different points in history. The right was initially meant to serve as a parliamentary right of resistance, yet by the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791 the right had become indispensably intertwined with civic republicanism. As the United States progressed into the 19th century the right continued to change--this time away from civic republicanism and towards the individual-right understanding that is known today, albeit with the important caveat that the right could be severely restricted by the government's police power. Throughout the 20th century this understanding of the right remained the predominant view. But working behind the scenes was the beginnings of the gun-rights movement--a movement that was started in the early 20th century through the collective efforts of sporting magazine editors and was eventually commandeered by the National Rifle Association to become the gun-rights movement known today. Readers looking to sort through the shrill rhetoric surrounding the current gun debate and arrive at an informed understanding of the legal and historical development of the right to arms will find this book to be an invaluable resource.
Call Number: KF3941 .C425 2018 (@ Strozier)
Publication Date: 2018
Critical Mass: Understanding and Fixing the Social Roots of Mass Shootings in the United States by Dinur Blum; Christian Gonzalez JaworskiThis book examines social patterns in 2,000 mass shootings in the United States between 2013 through 2020. While mass shootings are often described as psychological, the authors show that there are social factors that produce the anger needed to commit a mass shooting. These factors are fairly common and can be addressed to stem the anger earlier. The factors include chronic poverty, sudden unemployment, relationship problems, domestic violence, social isolation, and alcohol. Common social strains can metastasize and be lethally dangerous. By understanding the social factors, we can reduce the anger and frustration people feel that would drive them to killing others.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2021
Examining Gun Regulations, Warning Behaviors, and Policies to Prevent Mass Shootings by Selina E. M. KerrMass shootings have become more prevalent in the past few decades, especially within the United States. Whilst the United States has suffered from hundreds of mass shootings over the years, policy change relating to guns has been limited in scope, particularly when compared with other developed nations. Recognizing that the United States has a different history and culture, new policies must be undertaken to mitigate the occurrences of mass shootings with the understanding that its response should not be the same as other developed nations. Examining Gun Regulations, Warning Behaviors, and Policies to Prevent Mass Shootings is a critical reference book that analyzes the debates around and responses to mass shootings with a two-fold focus: the prevention, preparation, response, and recovery of mass shootings and gun proposals raised following these incidents. With a specific look at the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, the author scrutinizes the news media coverage following the incident to document its role in policy discussions, while also examining new policy responses and gun violence prevention actions that have gained traction since the event. Including the voices of those involved in gun violence prevention, as well as interviews with experts in areas dealing with prevention, preparation, and emergency response and recovery, this book centers on forthcoming themes such as licensing systems of firearms, smart gun technologies, assault weapons and weapons bans, and the portrayal of mass shootings in media. This book is essential for policymakers/lawmakers, news media, politicians and government officials, emergency management personnel, academicians, researchers, and students.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2021
Mass Murder in the United States: A History by Grant DuweIs mass murder a historically new phenomenon that emerged in the 1960s? How has it changed over time? And what causes a person to commit multiple murders in a matter of hours or even minutes? This book explores these questions by examining 909 mass murders that took place in the United States between 1900 and 1999. By far the largest study on the topic to date, it begins with a look at the patterns and prevalence of mass murders by presenting rates from 1900-1999 and by describing the characteristics of mass killers. Placing the phenomenon within the broader social, political, and economic context of the twentieth century, the work examines the factors that have influenced trends in the prevalence of mass murder. It also discusses more than 100 case studies within three distinct periods of mass murder activity (1900-1939, 1940-1965, and 1966-1999) to illustrate more clearly the motives of mass murderers and the circumstances surrounding their crimes. The final chapters take a look at media coverage and the role it has played in the social construction of mass murder. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2007
Mass Shootings and Civilian Armament by Alexei AnisinMass Shootings and Civilian Armament provides the first comprehensive multi-methodological analysis of the relationship between mass shootings and firearm purchases (as proxied by background checks) in the US on national level data from 1999-2020. Since 1994, the number of civilian-owned firearms in the US has doubled to around 398 million while the population only grew by 70 million. On average, mass shootings have occurred once every two weeks over the last decade which is a major factor behind why social scientists have started to ask whether mass shootings play a causative role in civilian decisions to purchase guns. Utilizing a multi-methodological approach featuring quantitative, comparative/configurational, and qualitative methods, this book puts forward a theoretical framework and argues that mass shootings do increase civilian armament, but that this repetitious effect is historically contingent, asymmetric, and non-linear. Particular types of mass shootings are hypothesized to have driven and continue to bring about increased levels of civilian firearm purchases through different pathways and combinations of variables - those that feature high fatality counts; arise in areas of cultural importance, are ideologically motivated. First, inquiry into background check data (1999-2020) and data on 213 mass shootings and attempted mass shootings is carried out to find out which shootings (as well as controls) are significantly correlated with background check increases. Second, the findings are utilized in a theoretically driven comparative configurational assessment to test if the noted theoretical pathways are associated with the outcome of increased post-shooting armament. Third, the empirical analyses are complimented by three case studies - the 2011 Gabrielle Giffords shooting (illustrative of the high fatality pathway), the 2012 Colorado movie theater shooting (illustrative of the cultural pathway), and the 2015 Charleston Church shooting (illustrative of the ideologically driven pathway). Interdisciplinary in nature, Mass Shootings and Civilian Armament will not only be of great interest to scholars of Criminology, but will also speak to sociologists, economists, public policy scholars, political scientists, historians, as well as cultural studies and American studies scholars.    
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2021
Mass Shootings in America: Understanding the Debates, Causes, and Responses by Jaclyn Schildkraut (Editor); Frank DeAngelis (Foreword by)This book is an informed and informative resource for understanding the reasons for and consequences of mass shootings in America. It includes essays from experts in the fields of criminal justice, sociology, and psychology about key issues surrounding the phenomenon of mass shootings and a collection of opinion pieces that provide insights into debates surrounding gun laws and other issues related to mass shootings. The title also features an encyclopedia section containing entries on every mass shooting in the United States from 1966 to 2016 for easy reference and a collection of illuminating and historically important primary documents pertaining to mass shooting events and the broader problem of violence in American society. Accessible, authoritative, and comprehensive, Mass Shootings in America will assist a wide range of readers, including budding scholars, seasoned researchers, and members of the general public, to a better understanding of mass shootings and their causes as well as steps that might be taken to reduce their severity and frequency.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
Opinions Throughout History: Guns in America by Micah Issit (Editor)This new series from Grey House offers in-depth, single volumes that follow the debate, or path, to a decision on a controversial topic as it evolved throughout history. Each volume offers a wide range of opinion essays and editorials, speeches, and journal articles and expert analysis.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2020
Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America by Gary KleckWinner of the 1993 Michael J. Hindelang award of the American Society of Criminology. By 1990 there were approximately 200 million guns in private hands in the United States, and around half of American households contained a gun. Over 30,000 people a year are killed with guns in suicides, homicides, and acci#65533;dents, and Americans use guns for defensive purposes over a million times a year. There is little doubt that gun violence and control are issues of vital importance, and they continue to inspire national debate. It is doubtful, however, whether most gun debates are worth listening to. Not surprisingly, such debates generally leave their participants exactly where they began, with their biases intact, and onlookers perplexed. Written deliberately to counter an atmosphere of hysteria and extremism. Point Blank, now in paperback, offers logi#65533;cal argument supported by empirical information. It con#65533;fronts fundamental questions head-on. On its initial publication in 1993, Point Blank won the Michael J. Hindelang Award of the American Society of Criminology for the book that "made the most outstanding contribution to criminology." Point Blank reports both original research and assesses existing evidence drawn from a wide variety of academic disciplines, including criminology, sociology, law, and medicine.
Call Number: HN90.V5 K56 1991
Publication Date: 1991
The Second Amendment: A Biography by Michael WaldmanWidely acclaimed at the time of its publication, the life story of the most controversial, volatile, misunderstood provision of the Bill of Rights. At a time of increasing gun violence in America, Waldman's book provoked a wide range of discussion. This book looks at history to provide some surprising, illuminating answers. The Amendment was written to calm public fear that the new national government would crush the state militias made up of all (white) adult men--who were required to own a gun to serve. Waldman recounts the raucous public debate that has surrounded the amendment from its inception to the present. As the country spread to the Western frontier, violence spread too. But through it all, gun control was abundant. In the twentieth century, with Prohibition and gangsterism, the first federal control laws were passed. In all four separate times the Supreme Court ruled against a constitutional right to own a gun. The present debate picked up in the 1970s--part of a backlash to the liberal 1960s and a resurgence of libertarianism. A newly radicalized NRA entered the campaign to oppose gun control and elevate the status of an obscure constitutional provision. In 2008, in a case that reached the Court after a focused drive by conservative lawyers, the US Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the Constitution protects an individual right to gun ownership. Famous for his theory of "originalism," Justice Antonin Scalia twisted it in this instance to base his argument on contemporary conditions. In The Second Amendment: A Biography, Michael Waldman shows that our view of the amendment is set, at each stage, not by a pristine constitutional text, but by the push and pull, the rough and tumble of political advocacy and public agitation.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2014
Shots in the Dark: the Policy, Politics, and Symbolism of Gun Control by William J. VizzardStarting with Columbine, school shootings have brought the issue of gun control to the forefront of the American consciousness. Why it won't rise to the top of the political agenda is an important part of the story that Will Vizzard tells. Drawing on Congressional hearings, interviews, thirty years of research, and personal experience as a special agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the author takes a step back from both advocates and opponents of gun control to survey the U.S. gun landscape. What he finds there is a scene dominated by policy and public opinion extremism as well as a powerful combination of history and symbolism that impede the resolution of this conflict. Neither a call for gun prohibition nor a diatribe against gun control, this book is intended for those with a particular interest in firearms as well as serious students of public policy and criminal justice. In addition to covering a century of gun control policy, the author addresses such current issues as assault weapons, right-to-carry and concealed-carry laws, school shootings, and recent elections. Unlike its several counterparts, SHOTS IN THE DARK sheds light on a balanced and pragmatic approach to gun control legislation.
Call Number: HV7436 .V59 2000 @ Strozier
Publication Date: 2000
The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic by Jillian Peterson; James DensleyUsing data from the writers' groundbreaking research on mass shooters, including first-person accounts from the perpetrators themselves, The Violence Project charts new pathways to prevention and innovative ways to stop the social contagion of violence. Frustrated by reactionary policy conversations that never seemed to convert into meaningful action, special investigator and psychologist Jill Peterson and sociologist James Densley built The Violence Project, the first comprehensive database of mass shooters. Their goal was to establish the root causes of mass shootings and figure out how to stop them by examining hundreds of data points in the life histories of more than 170 mass shooters-from their childhood and adolescence to their mental health and motives. They've also interviewed the living perpetrators of mass shootings and people who knew them, shooting survivors, victims' families, first responders, and leading experts to gain a comprehensive firsthand understanding of the real stories behind them, rather than the sensationalized media narratives that too often prevail. For the first time, instead of offering thoughts and prayers for the victims of these crimes, Peterson and Densley share their data-driven solutions for exactly what we must do, at the individual level, in our communities, and as a country, to put an end to these tragedies that have defined our modern era.
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2021
Article Databases
Tips:
For peer-reviewed articles, search Criminal Justice or Social Science Premium Collection database and limit the search results to "peer-reviewed."
For background information, search CQ Researcher database.
For articles from legal journals, search HeinOnline database. You can also search Federal, State, and Case Law in this database.
Provides cover-to-cover access for 45 criminal justice journals frequently consulted by professionals, and indexes 240 journals, 80 of those journals include full text articles.
Subject coverage:
Criminology
Corrections administration
Criminal law
Criminal justice
Law enforcement
Addiction
Family law
Industrial security
Rehabilitation
Resource URL: http://search.proquest.com/criminaljusticeperiodicals/advanced?accountid=4840
Abbreviation: cjpindex
Vendor: ProQuest
Coverage: 1981–Current
Subjects: Criminology and Criminal Justice, Public Administration and Policy, Public Safety and Security
Type: Indexes / Catalogs
This collection provides access to databases covering the international literature in the social sciences, including politics, sociology, social services, anthropology, criminology and education. Featured databases include IBSS, PAIS and Sociological Abstracts. Together, they provide abstracts, indexing and full text coverage of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, working papers and more, including deep indexing and full text from over 1000 important social science journals
Resource URL: http://search.proquest.com/socscicoll/advanced?accountid=4840
Abbreviation: sspc
Vendor: ProQuest
Coverage: 1871–Current
Subjects: *General / Multi-Subject, Anthropology, Art, Art Education, Art Therapy, Communication, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Demography and Population Studies, Early Childhood Education, Economics, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Educational Psychology, Exceptional Student Education, Higher Education, Hospitality, Human Development & Family Science, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration and Policy, Public Health, Public Safety and Security, Social Work, Sociocultural and International Education, Sociology, Teacher Education, Urban and Regional Planning, Women's and Gender Studies
Type: Indexes / Catalogs
This database combines many of CQ's most well- known government and political titles into a single searchable database. It includes such titles as the Political Handbook of the world, Elections A to Z, the Federal Regulatory Directory and the Washington Information Directory and covers such topics as International Affairs, Congress, Law and the Courts, Elections and Political Behavior, the Presidency and Politics and History.
Resource URL: http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher
Abbreviation: cq
Vendor: SAGE Publishing
Coverage: 1923–Current
Subjects: Communication, Political Science, Public Administration and Policy, Public Health
Type: Directories, Government Publications, Reports
HeinOnline provides a searchable format and full-image access to a large and growing collection of legal journals from the time of their inception to a few years before present.