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The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment
"In this precise primer on firearms practices and policies, progressive talk-show host Hartmann examines the history of routine gun usage and extreme gun violence and assesses the influence of gun ownership on contemporary political, economic, and social norms...A brief but powerful analysis of a searing national crisis." --Booklist
Thom Hartmann, the most popular progressive radio host in America and a New York Times bestselling author, looks at the real history of guns in America and what we can do to limit both their lethal impact and the power of the gun lobby.
Taking his typically in-depth, historically informed view, Hartmann examines the brutal role guns have played in American history, from the genocide of the Native Americans to the enforcement of slavery (Slave Patrols are in fact the Second Amendment's "well-regulated militias") and the racist post-Civil War social order. He shows how the NRA and conservative Supreme Court justices used specious logic to invent a virtually unlimited individual right to own guns, which has enabled the ever-growing number of mass shootings in the United States. But Hartmann also identifies a handful of powerful, commonsense solutions that would break the power of the gun lobby and restore the understanding of the Second Amendment that the Framers of the Constitution intended. This is the kind of brief, brilliant analysis for which Hartmann is justly renowned.
Thom Hartmann, the most popular progressive radio host in America and a New York Times bestselling author, looks at the real history of guns in America and what we can do to limit both their lethal impact and the power of the gun lobby.
Taking his typically in-depth, historically informed view, Hartmann examines the brutal role guns have played in American history, from the genocide of the Native Americans to the enforcement of slavery (Slave Patrols are in fact the Second Amendment's "well-regulated militias") and the racist post-Civil War social order. He shows how the NRA and conservative Supreme Court justices used specious logic to invent a virtually unlimited individual right to own guns, which has enabled the ever-growing number of mass shootings in the United States. But Hartmann also identifies a handful of powerful, commonsense solutions that would break the power of the gun lobby and restore the understanding of the Second Amendment that the Framers of the Constitution intended. This is the kind of brief, brilliant analysis for which Hartmann is justly renowned.
192 pages, Paperback
Published June 4, 2019
141 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Thom Hartmann
97 books371 followersThomas Carl Hartmann is an American radio personality, author, businessman, and progressive political commentator. Hartmann has been hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, The Thom Hartmann Program, since 2003 and hosted a nightly television show, The Big Picture, between 2010 and 2017.
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February 1, 2020
The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment by Thom Hartmann
“The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment” is a concise book that examines the proclivity for gun violence in America and what we can do about it within the confines of the law. Progressive radio/TV show host and best-selling author of over 25 books, Thom Hartmann takes the reader on an interesting historical journey of our Second Amendment. This succinct 192-page book includes the following thirty-one chapters: 1. The Unholy Alliance of Racism, Genocide, and Guns, 2. The Sanitized History of America, 3. The Roots of American Gun Culture in the “Discovery” of America, 4. From Columbus to Jamestown, 5. From Genocide to Slavery, 6. Early Hints toward the Second Amendment, 7. Gun Culture’s Ebb and Flow, 8. How Slavery Laid the Foundation of the Second Amendment, 9. Gun Culture Enshrined: The Second Amendment, 10. A Constitutional Rorschach Ploy: Limits on Slavery?, 11. How Europe’s History of Mercenaries and Military Coups Shaped the Second Amendment, 12. How Fears of Abolition Shaped the Second Amendment, 13. The Myth of the Well-Armed Cowboy, 14. The Gunshot That Ended Reconstruction, 15. The Failure of Reconstruction and the Rise of the Klan, 16. Racists Turn Open Carry into the New White Hood, 17. Copwatching and Its Connection to Gun Control, 18. One Sunny August Day in Texas, 19. 1966: A Turning Point in America’s Gun Culture, 20. Guns, Militarism, and the War on Drugs, 21. Heller: Reinterpreting the Second Amendment, 22. Political Corruption Underwrites America’s Gun-Control Nightmare, 23. Gun-Control Activists Are Confronting Only the Tip of the Iceberg, 24. Neoliberalism Drives Inequality; Inequality Drives Mass Murder, 25. Weapons of War on America’s Streets, 26. Semiautomatic Weapons, 27. What America Learned from Cars—and How to Apply It to Guns, 28. Gun Manufacturing in the 21st Century: 3-D Printing, 29. Well-Regulated Smart Guns Are Here, 30. Addressing Racism to Reduce Gun Violence, and 31. Learning from Other Nations.
Positives:
1. Well-researched and well-written book.
2. The fascinating hot-button topic of the Second Amendment.
3. Hartmann rights with clarity and precision. Short chapters that are very easy to follow.
4. Facts abound. “America has a bit more than 4 percent of the world’s population but holds almost 50 percent of all the guns in civilian hands worldwide—more than 390 million guns. And the more guns a society has, the more gun deaths it will experience..”
5. Predicting gun deaths. “A landmark 1999 study from researchers Franklin Zimring and Gordon Hawkins showed that the main correlation —far surpassing mental illness, socioeconomic status, or race—that could be defined as causal in predicting the rates of gun deaths is a simple number: the number of guns distributed among society.”
6. Provocative perspectives. “Without America’s history of slavery and Native American genocide, today’s “American gun culture” wouldn’t exist.” “The destruction of the Indians of the Americas was, far and away, the most massive act of genocide in the history of the world.”
7. Keen observations. “Throughout history, when a culture wages a campaign of brutality and genocide, it’s typically invented stories of the enemy’s brutality and inhumanity to justify the culture’s own brutality.”
8. Examines how slavery laid the foundation for the Second Amendment. “Slavery can exist only in the context of a police state, and the enforcement of that police state was the explicit job of the gun-toting slave-patrol militias.”
9. Guns and the Second Amendment. “But it was Jefferson’s objection to standing armies during times of peace that led directly to Madison drafting the Second Amendment—and to that amendment being ultimately modified in such a way as to guarantee that the southern states could keep their slave patrols.” Bonus, “Little did Madison, Jefferson, or Henry realize that one day in the future, weapons-manufacturing corporations, newly defined as “persons” by a dysfunctional Supreme Court, would use his slave-patrol militia amendment to protect their “right” to manufacture and sell guns to individuals who would use them to murder schoolchildren.”
10. Debunks myths. “The victims of slavery and genocide were victims precisely because they deserved to be; it was their genetic destiny. Laying this theory out for the world, Spencer (not Darwin) coined, in 1864, the phrase “survival of the fittest.””
11. Racism and the Second Amendment. “As with so many other things in America, history shows that the Second Amendment has never been “color-blind.”” “Likewise, when a citizen has been killed while legally carrying a gun, the NRA has been deafeningly silent if that citizen is black.”
12. Examines some cases of mass shootings. “America’s deadliest civilian mass shootings have all occurred since 1960, and most of them were committed by young white men: the University of Texas shooting (1966); the San Ysidro, California, McDonald’s massacre (1984); the Edmond, Oklahoma, post office shooting (1986); the Luby’s Cafeteria massacre in Killeen, Texas (1991); the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting (2012); the Sutherland Springs, Texas, church shooting (2017); the Las Vegas shooting (2017); and the school shootings at Columbine, Colorado (1999), Sandy Hook, Connecticut (2012), and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (2018).”
13. The war on drugs. “The war on drugs, since Richard Nixon declared it, has been about controlling political power by breaking up black communities and the dissident left. The people who were involved, the architects and the leaders in the war on drugs, admitted it and even bragged about it.”
14. The reinterpretation of the Second Amendment. “Even a previous Supreme Court chief justice, Nixon appointee Warren Berger, called the idea that the Second Amendment conferred an “individual right” to gun ownership a lie. Explicitly, he said the idea being promoted back when he was on the Court was “a fraud on the American public.””
15. The NRA and corporate money. “Thus, the reason the NRA can buy and own senators like McCain and Rubio (and Thom Tillis, R-N.C./$4 million; Cory Gardner, R-Colo./$3.8 million; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa/$3 million; and Rob Portman, R-Ohio/$3 million, who all presumably took money much faster and much more recently than even McCain) is because the Supreme Court has repeatedly said that corporate and billionaire money never corrupts politicians.”
16. Discusses three big ways to overturn the power of the billionaires and corporations. “The third and most likely way to get around this corruption of the Supreme Court is like Congress’s ultimate (post-Civil War) response to the Court’s Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling that African-Americans were property and not people under the Constitution. Congress and the states amended the Constitution (the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments) to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
17. Discusses two laws that could solve most of America’s gun-violence problem. “Regulate gun ownership and usage the same way America regulates car ownership and usage.”
18. Links to notes included.
Negatives:
1. More like an appetizer than a full meal. I wanted more depth on the many supporting topics brought up.
2. No tables and/or graphs to complement the provocative material.
3. Conservatives will brand this book as anti-2nd Amendment propaganda but that would be furthest from the truth.
In summary, a solid succinct book that examines the history of the Second Amendment and what we could do to address the gun-violence problem. I like Hartmann’s style and his passion, my main criticism is the lack of depth and lack of visual material. That said, I enjoyed the book immensely and it’s a quick way to get a lot of information on such a hot topic. I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: “The Second Amendment: A Biography” by Michael Waldman, “That’s Not What They Meant About Guns!” by Michael Austin, “Guns” by Stephen King, “Pack of Lies Volume One: Debunking the 40 Most Destructive Conservative Myths in America” by John-Paul Berbach and specifically Lie #8 Gun Control Laws are Unconstitutional, “A Well-Regulated Militia” by Saul Cornell, “Living with Guns: A Liberal’s Case for the Second Amendment” by Craig Whitney, and “America’s Constitution: A Biography” by Akhil Reed Amar.
“The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment” is a concise book that examines the proclivity for gun violence in America and what we can do about it within the confines of the law. Progressive radio/TV show host and best-selling author of over 25 books, Thom Hartmann takes the reader on an interesting historical journey of our Second Amendment. This succinct 192-page book includes the following thirty-one chapters: 1. The Unholy Alliance of Racism, Genocide, and Guns, 2. The Sanitized History of America, 3. The Roots of American Gun Culture in the “Discovery” of America, 4. From Columbus to Jamestown, 5. From Genocide to Slavery, 6. Early Hints toward the Second Amendment, 7. Gun Culture’s Ebb and Flow, 8. How Slavery Laid the Foundation of the Second Amendment, 9. Gun Culture Enshrined: The Second Amendment, 10. A Constitutional Rorschach Ploy: Limits on Slavery?, 11. How Europe’s History of Mercenaries and Military Coups Shaped the Second Amendment, 12. How Fears of Abolition Shaped the Second Amendment, 13. The Myth of the Well-Armed Cowboy, 14. The Gunshot That Ended Reconstruction, 15. The Failure of Reconstruction and the Rise of the Klan, 16. Racists Turn Open Carry into the New White Hood, 17. Copwatching and Its Connection to Gun Control, 18. One Sunny August Day in Texas, 19. 1966: A Turning Point in America’s Gun Culture, 20. Guns, Militarism, and the War on Drugs, 21. Heller: Reinterpreting the Second Amendment, 22. Political Corruption Underwrites America’s Gun-Control Nightmare, 23. Gun-Control Activists Are Confronting Only the Tip of the Iceberg, 24. Neoliberalism Drives Inequality; Inequality Drives Mass Murder, 25. Weapons of War on America’s Streets, 26. Semiautomatic Weapons, 27. What America Learned from Cars—and How to Apply It to Guns, 28. Gun Manufacturing in the 21st Century: 3-D Printing, 29. Well-Regulated Smart Guns Are Here, 30. Addressing Racism to Reduce Gun Violence, and 31. Learning from Other Nations.
Positives:
1. Well-researched and well-written book.
2. The fascinating hot-button topic of the Second Amendment.
3. Hartmann rights with clarity and precision. Short chapters that are very easy to follow.
4. Facts abound. “America has a bit more than 4 percent of the world’s population but holds almost 50 percent of all the guns in civilian hands worldwide—more than 390 million guns. And the more guns a society has, the more gun deaths it will experience..”
5. Predicting gun deaths. “A landmark 1999 study from researchers Franklin Zimring and Gordon Hawkins showed that the main correlation —far surpassing mental illness, socioeconomic status, or race—that could be defined as causal in predicting the rates of gun deaths is a simple number: the number of guns distributed among society.”
6. Provocative perspectives. “Without America’s history of slavery and Native American genocide, today’s “American gun culture” wouldn’t exist.” “The destruction of the Indians of the Americas was, far and away, the most massive act of genocide in the history of the world.”
7. Keen observations. “Throughout history, when a culture wages a campaign of brutality and genocide, it’s typically invented stories of the enemy’s brutality and inhumanity to justify the culture’s own brutality.”
8. Examines how slavery laid the foundation for the Second Amendment. “Slavery can exist only in the context of a police state, and the enforcement of that police state was the explicit job of the gun-toting slave-patrol militias.”
9. Guns and the Second Amendment. “But it was Jefferson’s objection to standing armies during times of peace that led directly to Madison drafting the Second Amendment—and to that amendment being ultimately modified in such a way as to guarantee that the southern states could keep their slave patrols.” Bonus, “Little did Madison, Jefferson, or Henry realize that one day in the future, weapons-manufacturing corporations, newly defined as “persons” by a dysfunctional Supreme Court, would use his slave-patrol militia amendment to protect their “right” to manufacture and sell guns to individuals who would use them to murder schoolchildren.”
10. Debunks myths. “The victims of slavery and genocide were victims precisely because they deserved to be; it was their genetic destiny. Laying this theory out for the world, Spencer (not Darwin) coined, in 1864, the phrase “survival of the fittest.””
11. Racism and the Second Amendment. “As with so many other things in America, history shows that the Second Amendment has never been “color-blind.”” “Likewise, when a citizen has been killed while legally carrying a gun, the NRA has been deafeningly silent if that citizen is black.”
12. Examines some cases of mass shootings. “America’s deadliest civilian mass shootings have all occurred since 1960, and most of them were committed by young white men: the University of Texas shooting (1966); the San Ysidro, California, McDonald’s massacre (1984); the Edmond, Oklahoma, post office shooting (1986); the Luby’s Cafeteria massacre in Killeen, Texas (1991); the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting (2012); the Sutherland Springs, Texas, church shooting (2017); the Las Vegas shooting (2017); and the school shootings at Columbine, Colorado (1999), Sandy Hook, Connecticut (2012), and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (2018).”
13. The war on drugs. “The war on drugs, since Richard Nixon declared it, has been about controlling political power by breaking up black communities and the dissident left. The people who were involved, the architects and the leaders in the war on drugs, admitted it and even bragged about it.”
14. The reinterpretation of the Second Amendment. “Even a previous Supreme Court chief justice, Nixon appointee Warren Berger, called the idea that the Second Amendment conferred an “individual right” to gun ownership a lie. Explicitly, he said the idea being promoted back when he was on the Court was “a fraud on the American public.””
15. The NRA and corporate money. “Thus, the reason the NRA can buy and own senators like McCain and Rubio (and Thom Tillis, R-N.C./$4 million; Cory Gardner, R-Colo./$3.8 million; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa/$3 million; and Rob Portman, R-Ohio/$3 million, who all presumably took money much faster and much more recently than even McCain) is because the Supreme Court has repeatedly said that corporate and billionaire money never corrupts politicians.”
16. Discusses three big ways to overturn the power of the billionaires and corporations. “The third and most likely way to get around this corruption of the Supreme Court is like Congress’s ultimate (post-Civil War) response to the Court’s Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling that African-Americans were property and not people under the Constitution. Congress and the states amended the Constitution (the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments) to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
17. Discusses two laws that could solve most of America’s gun-violence problem. “Regulate gun ownership and usage the same way America regulates car ownership and usage.”
18. Links to notes included.
Negatives:
1. More like an appetizer than a full meal. I wanted more depth on the many supporting topics brought up.
2. No tables and/or graphs to complement the provocative material.
3. Conservatives will brand this book as anti-2nd Amendment propaganda but that would be furthest from the truth.
In summary, a solid succinct book that examines the history of the Second Amendment and what we could do to address the gun-violence problem. I like Hartmann’s style and his passion, my main criticism is the lack of depth and lack of visual material. That said, I enjoyed the book immensely and it’s a quick way to get a lot of information on such a hot topic. I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: “The Second Amendment: A Biography” by Michael Waldman, “That’s Not What They Meant About Guns!” by Michael Austin, “Guns” by Stephen King, “Pack of Lies Volume One: Debunking the 40 Most Destructive Conservative Myths in America” by John-Paul Berbach and specifically Lie #8 Gun Control Laws are Unconstitutional, “A Well-Regulated Militia” by Saul Cornell, “Living with Guns: A Liberal’s Case for the Second Amendment” by Craig Whitney, and “America’s Constitution: A Biography” by Akhil Reed Amar.
November 8, 2022
I'm old enough to recall Jack Webb in the TV show Dragnet asking for "just the facts, Ma'm" when interviewing a witness to a crime who was running on with irrelevant information.
The public scene on any important topic is loaded with uninformed opinions, clever phrases that in their simplicity catch on and voices that speak for profit rather than the public good. Thom Hartmann is a progressive talk show host that decided to clear the air on important issues by writing short books that stick to the facts.
That America has reached a point where not only are there mass shootings, but also a call for everyone to be armed, is a glaring contradiction that baffles me. I wanted straight shooting on guns and found it in this little book.
The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court as legitimizing the right of every American to have a gun. In the 5-4 majority opinion written by Antonin Scalia it is claimed that the right to defend hearth and home was in the minds of those who wrote the 2nd Amendment. In fact, as Thom Hartmann relates, in a month of debate about composing the 2nd Amendment, not once was this defense of the home mentioned.
On the minds of the composers were two issues. The first was the danger of a standing army to the new country. Fear that such an army could overthrow the government had people eager to come up with an alternative. The alternative was a citizen militia that could be called up from the citizenry in an emergency, but would otherwise be latent in the population. Thus reference is made in the amendment to "a well regulated militia."
The second concern driving the creation of the 2nd Amendment was the fear in the southern states of slave uprisings. These states wanted to continue the slave patrols they had been using to keep any uprising under control. It is for this reason that James Madison changed the word "country" to "state" in the amendment: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State. the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." (italics mine)
Again, not a word about protecting the home or of citizens having a right to forcibly overthrow an oppressive government. Shay's Rebellion (1786-7), a genuine citizen uprising against government taxation, had no one mentioning such a right to overthrow as surely they would if the idea were present as modern interpreters would have us believe.
Thus does Hartmann contradict by way of actual history the two principle false claims made by some Americans today that the 2nd Amendment supports a right to armed overthrow of the government, or that citizens are to be armed to defend their homes. Simply put, the 2nd Amendment means what it says and no more. Antonin Scalia wished to read more into it and did.
Hartmann shows how the modern interpretation has been driven by the firearms industry in league with the National Rifle Association (NRA) that it supports, as NRA supporters in the legislature provide the laws to protect the industry. Typical of this is the Dickey Amendment put through in 1996 by Arkansas Representative Jay Dickey that makes it illegal for the CDC to be given any funds to track or analyze gun violence. Dickey himself later felt remorse, but the law stands.
But there is so much more.
Hartmann mentions how insurance is required of car owners to cover any injury they may cause while driving, yet no insurance is required for gun owners though they possess a tool specifically intended to injure or kill. He mentions how there is a design that prevents anyone other than the owner of a gun from firing it, but attempts to implement this in law have failed and the company the makes the system has been threatened.
We get two histories. The first a factual account of the use of firearms against slaves, native-Americans, blacks, and striking laborers both by private "security" companies such as the Pinkertons and by police. Included is the woeful history of the KKK, important enough to openly stage a march of hooded men in 1928 Washington DC.
Then we get a second history of the imagery of guns. There is the portrayal of brutal groups such as the Texas Rangers as heroic, and countless western novels, TV shows and movies in which the gun metes out justice and thugs such as Jesse James and Billy the Kid come off as heroic, continuing on into modern times with Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and Wyatt Earp appearing as they never were in reality. The heroic individual cannot be without his weapon.
The rise of the NRA from an organization in favor of gun control, into a lobbying and promotional front group for gun manufacturers is recounted, all made possible by two Supreme Court rulings that effectively allowed gun manufacturers to buy politicians. Citizens United has only added on to this.
Hartmann tells of how the 1930's rash of mob gun violence in America resulted in prohibition of the sale of automatic weapons and sawed off shotguns to individuals. But then, despite the ever increasing incidence of mass shootings starting with Charles Whitman in the U of T tower in 1966, the failure of any attempt to regulate guns since even in the face of school children being slaughtered. To the contrary, guns are promoted in the face of all the evidence for their being controlled.
This book confirms what we all know: Congress is captive to special interests of which the gun industry is only one. Nothing will change until corporate and private wealth is not allowed to finance election campaigns. Significantly, no potential presidential candidate is drawing attention to this.
Impressed by his effort at clarification of a topic, I intended to get another of the books in Thom Hartmann's series
The public scene on any important topic is loaded with uninformed opinions, clever phrases that in their simplicity catch on and voices that speak for profit rather than the public good. Thom Hartmann is a progressive talk show host that decided to clear the air on important issues by writing short books that stick to the facts.
That America has reached a point where not only are there mass shootings, but also a call for everyone to be armed, is a glaring contradiction that baffles me. I wanted straight shooting on guns and found it in this little book.
The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court as legitimizing the right of every American to have a gun. In the 5-4 majority opinion written by Antonin Scalia it is claimed that the right to defend hearth and home was in the minds of those who wrote the 2nd Amendment. In fact, as Thom Hartmann relates, in a month of debate about composing the 2nd Amendment, not once was this defense of the home mentioned.
On the minds of the composers were two issues. The first was the danger of a standing army to the new country. Fear that such an army could overthrow the government had people eager to come up with an alternative. The alternative was a citizen militia that could be called up from the citizenry in an emergency, but would otherwise be latent in the population. Thus reference is made in the amendment to "a well regulated militia."
The second concern driving the creation of the 2nd Amendment was the fear in the southern states of slave uprisings. These states wanted to continue the slave patrols they had been using to keep any uprising under control. It is for this reason that James Madison changed the word "country" to "state" in the amendment: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State. the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." (italics mine)
Again, not a word about protecting the home or of citizens having a right to forcibly overthrow an oppressive government. Shay's Rebellion (1786-7), a genuine citizen uprising against government taxation, had no one mentioning such a right to overthrow as surely they would if the idea were present as modern interpreters would have us believe.
Thus does Hartmann contradict by way of actual history the two principle false claims made by some Americans today that the 2nd Amendment supports a right to armed overthrow of the government, or that citizens are to be armed to defend their homes. Simply put, the 2nd Amendment means what it says and no more. Antonin Scalia wished to read more into it and did.
Hartmann shows how the modern interpretation has been driven by the firearms industry in league with the National Rifle Association (NRA) that it supports, as NRA supporters in the legislature provide the laws to protect the industry. Typical of this is the Dickey Amendment put through in 1996 by Arkansas Representative Jay Dickey that makes it illegal for the CDC to be given any funds to track or analyze gun violence. Dickey himself later felt remorse, but the law stands.
But there is so much more.
Hartmann mentions how insurance is required of car owners to cover any injury they may cause while driving, yet no insurance is required for gun owners though they possess a tool specifically intended to injure or kill. He mentions how there is a design that prevents anyone other than the owner of a gun from firing it, but attempts to implement this in law have failed and the company the makes the system has been threatened.
We get two histories. The first a factual account of the use of firearms against slaves, native-Americans, blacks, and striking laborers both by private "security" companies such as the Pinkertons and by police. Included is the woeful history of the KKK, important enough to openly stage a march of hooded men in 1928 Washington DC.
Then we get a second history of the imagery of guns. There is the portrayal of brutal groups such as the Texas Rangers as heroic, and countless western novels, TV shows and movies in which the gun metes out justice and thugs such as Jesse James and Billy the Kid come off as heroic, continuing on into modern times with Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and Wyatt Earp appearing as they never were in reality. The heroic individual cannot be without his weapon.
The rise of the NRA from an organization in favor of gun control, into a lobbying and promotional front group for gun manufacturers is recounted, all made possible by two Supreme Court rulings that effectively allowed gun manufacturers to buy politicians. Citizens United has only added on to this.
Hartmann tells of how the 1930's rash of mob gun violence in America resulted in prohibition of the sale of automatic weapons and sawed off shotguns to individuals. But then, despite the ever increasing incidence of mass shootings starting with Charles Whitman in the U of T tower in 1966, the failure of any attempt to regulate guns since even in the face of school children being slaughtered. To the contrary, guns are promoted in the face of all the evidence for their being controlled.
This book confirms what we all know: Congress is captive to special interests of which the gun industry is only one. Nothing will change until corporate and private wealth is not allowed to finance election campaigns. Significantly, no potential presidential candidate is drawing attention to this.
Impressed by his effort at clarification of a topic, I intended to get another of the books in Thom Hartmann's series
March 31, 2024
Interesting, if repetitive. If you removed all of the discussions that were already covered in earlier chapters, and all of the off-topic rants (not that I necessarily disagree with the author’s points), the book would make for an incisive long-form magazine article.
January 21, 2020
This concise, easily readable account of the history and current laws related to gun ownership was both informative and helpful to me in understanding how we got to where we are today. Hartmann's position in writing about this issue is enhanced by the fact that he is a gun owner himself (for target practice), so has talked and dealt with other gun owners and sellers as a sort of insider. I was interested to learn that before the Reagan era, the NRA was much different; it actually advocated for gun regulations.
At the end Hartmann gives two clear objectives for lawmakers to focus on: 1) apply the same restrictions to semi-automatic weapons as are currently the law regarding automatic weapons, and 2) license guns in all the same ways as cars are currently licensed (including requirements for tests to determine owner competency, and for owners to carry liability insurance). These, without being wildly radical, could defuse the situation effectively.
At the end Hartmann gives two clear objectives for lawmakers to focus on: 1) apply the same restrictions to semi-automatic weapons as are currently the law regarding automatic weapons, and 2) license guns in all the same ways as cars are currently licensed (including requirements for tests to determine owner competency, and for owners to carry liability insurance). These, without being wildly radical, could defuse the situation effectively.
December 10, 2019
TLDR:
Good composite of various talking points I've heard, his solutions are a rather classist. He argues for radical change but then uses capitalist recommendations. Seriously, he might be making those capitalist/liberal arguments to say we could right now with the right personalities, but he literally says that we need to get bribery/money out of politics. So that's kind of two-faced/doomed. However, it's divergent thinking.
He details the genocides & racism a Ton. Festive reading for Thanksgiving.
There's 1 talking point about how gunbuybacks will fail that didn't go addressed.
The short chapters are awesome & at least That gave me hope.
----
Notes as I was reading:
i'm about to start chapter 5 of 31 i very much appreciate how the chapters are short because that helps me find my place better. so far i've learned that email forwards are like internet memes or like tumblr news etc. also i got a name on the legistlation talked about for inaccuracies in reports about guns public health, it's called "the dickey amendment". i still have to read that but it's nice to get a source. that being said, a lot of these early chapters are about genocide so if i'm able to read finish this book on thanksgiving day it'd be cool in terms of theme
2019-1206-1351
i find chapter 16 to be very helpful at articulating why i see conway's campaign to be district attorney in chicago against kim foxx to be harmful to black people misfits, aka anti-blm. (i will say i find his campaign racist, but i also feel the need to use precise language in a similar way that i do when discussing (trans)gender topics.) i might go on about that later after i type it up for reusability, but it depends on how the book further goes.
i also find chapter 16 to buy too much into the so-called-given reason for the charlottesville #UniteTheRight rally (that reason being the removal of the robert e lee statue.) however, i do find it helpful for explaining the anti-fascist observation that the police always side with the fasicsts. i also find it helpful because it kind of explains how the fascists were trying to use respectability politics to elicit support/normalization. while Regionalism ( the economics of it) is important when discussing why USA's 1-party system exists as 2-parties, it often gets recuperated by blue-bloods against rednecks blacks etc.
2019-1208
Chapter 17 is very essay inspiring too
2019-1209-2155
This book has inspired so many essays from me so I'm going to buy the ebook so I can copy & paste it as needed.
That being said, I think Hartmann's main strategy of treating guns like cars is classist since he says gun deaths go up when inequality happens & by relying on "the free market" & high fees to deal with it is ridiculously classist which sucks since the military is a big weapons hoard that's already classist af. That being said if we had Medicare For All we wouldn't have to worry about liability with hospital bills at all as far as I know.
Going back to that 1931 Act's form "OMB 1140-0014 Application For Tax Paid Transfer And Registration Of A Firearm"'s Category 14's question, we need to focus a lot more on questions 7 & 8. I'm very suspicious of banning the mentally ill as seen with number 5 since people who are treated as chattel can be labelled with made up illnesses (I think kids having oppositional defiance disorder is bullshit.)
But that being said, since inequality aggravates gun violence we need to get our schools funded not locally & have national standards (though common core's ideas of Shakespeare & Prestiged authors are ridiculous). That being said, if we had proper funding we could expand the inclusion department beyond disabilities.
Also out restrictions on the cops & military would be great. IDK if I need to spell this out further.
Basically he says we need radical change. He literally says for chapters on end that if we don't get money out of politics that we'll be stuck with aristocracy. but then wants to use liberal/free market solutions. so while That is 2-faced. Politicians being "brave" to refuse donors as a result of #neveragain seems to be misanalyzed. It puts personality before system which is a major error. I want to know how the #neveragain movement tilted that scale, but maybe those notes will clarify.
His detailing gives a lot of support to radicals.
I remember hearing from beau of the fifth column that the gun buyback programs worked because there were fewer guns in those countries but we're now too far gone. I didn't hear this talking point addressed at all which is concerning.
This book also does a great detail of the genocidal atrocities & the economics that motivated such evil. This book has convinced me we are actually in the middle of a war zone & that USA can no longer be seriously considered a peer with "developed nations". We could aspire to be that, but we aren't as is.
Good composite of various talking points I've heard, his solutions are a rather classist. He argues for radical change but then uses capitalist recommendations. Seriously, he might be making those capitalist/liberal arguments to say we could right now with the right personalities, but he literally says that we need to get bribery/money out of politics. So that's kind of two-faced/doomed. However, it's divergent thinking.
He details the genocides & racism a Ton. Festive reading for Thanksgiving.
There's 1 talking point about how gunbuybacks will fail that didn't go addressed.
The short chapters are awesome & at least That gave me hope.
----
Notes as I was reading:
i'm about to start chapter 5 of 31 i very much appreciate how the chapters are short because that helps me find my place better. so far i've learned that email forwards are like internet memes or like tumblr news etc. also i got a name on the legistlation talked about for inaccuracies in reports about guns public health, it's called "the dickey amendment". i still have to read that but it's nice to get a source. that being said, a lot of these early chapters are about genocide so if i'm able to read finish this book on thanksgiving day it'd be cool in terms of theme
2019-1206-1351
i find chapter 16 to be very helpful at articulating why i see conway's campaign to be district attorney in chicago against kim foxx to be harmful to black people misfits, aka anti-blm. (i will say i find his campaign racist, but i also feel the need to use precise language in a similar way that i do when discussing (trans)gender topics.) i might go on about that later after i type it up for reusability, but it depends on how the book further goes.
i also find chapter 16 to buy too much into the so-called-given reason for the charlottesville #UniteTheRight rally (that reason being the removal of the robert e lee statue.) however, i do find it helpful for explaining the anti-fascist observation that the police always side with the fasicsts. i also find it helpful because it kind of explains how the fascists were trying to use respectability politics to elicit support/normalization. while Regionalism ( the economics of it) is important when discussing why USA's 1-party system exists as 2-parties, it often gets recuperated by blue-bloods against rednecks blacks etc.
2019-1208
Chapter 17 is very essay inspiring too
2019-1209-2155
This book has inspired so many essays from me so I'm going to buy the ebook so I can copy & paste it as needed.
That being said, I think Hartmann's main strategy of treating guns like cars is classist since he says gun deaths go up when inequality happens & by relying on "the free market" & high fees to deal with it is ridiculously classist which sucks since the military is a big weapons hoard that's already classist af. That being said if we had Medicare For All we wouldn't have to worry about liability with hospital bills at all as far as I know.
Going back to that 1931 Act's form "OMB 1140-0014 Application For Tax Paid Transfer And Registration Of A Firearm"'s Category 14's question, we need to focus a lot more on questions 7 & 8. I'm very suspicious of banning the mentally ill as seen with number 5 since people who are treated as chattel can be labelled with made up illnesses (I think kids having oppositional defiance disorder is bullshit.)
But that being said, since inequality aggravates gun violence we need to get our schools funded not locally & have national standards (though common core's ideas of Shakespeare & Prestiged authors are ridiculous). That being said, if we had proper funding we could expand the inclusion department beyond disabilities.
Also out restrictions on the cops & military would be great. IDK if I need to spell this out further.
Basically he says we need radical change. He literally says for chapters on end that if we don't get money out of politics that we'll be stuck with aristocracy. but then wants to use liberal/free market solutions. so while That is 2-faced. Politicians being "brave" to refuse donors as a result of #neveragain seems to be misanalyzed. It puts personality before system which is a major error. I want to know how the #neveragain movement tilted that scale, but maybe those notes will clarify.
His detailing gives a lot of support to radicals.
I remember hearing from beau of the fifth column that the gun buyback programs worked because there were fewer guns in those countries but we're now too far gone. I didn't hear this talking point addressed at all which is concerning.
This book also does a great detail of the genocidal atrocities & the economics that motivated such evil. This book has convinced me we are actually in the middle of a war zone & that USA can no longer be seriously considered a peer with "developed nations". We could aspire to be that, but we aren't as is.
October 30, 2019
Well-researched and written, this book takes us back to the beginning of the gun culture in the United States. It's an interesting way to take the gun issue, but just glancing at some of the reviews, I realize we are not a nation of readers that likes history, real history, not the made up stuff of television shows from the 60s. That section was very interesting because I grew up with those shows, never cared for them much and I'm not a gun advocate today, but I also don't want to rip anyone's gun from their hands but seriously don't people realize we have far too many guns and gun deaths in this country? It's interesting learning why people get so triggered over this issue. A lot of great information in this book. I love hidden history books.
June 30, 2019
Concise, considerate, and compelling. This would serve as a great addition to classroom and / or book club discussions.
September 5, 2019
This book gave me a whole different perspective concerning guns, gun ownership and the Constitution. I liked the concise chapters and the author's grasp of history. Read for understanding!
April 10, 2023
This is an incredibly important book.
I subscribe to Thom Hartmann's Substack blog, and he shared the introduction and foreword of this book last week. I immediately hit my library up for the eBook edition.
Hartmann delves deep into the (extremely racist) history of the 2nd Amendment, the purpose of which was to create militias that were required to participate in slave patrols and/or quell slave uprisings. (In case you're in doubt, Federalist Paper No. 10 and the two Militia Acts go into this as well). Hartmann provides the original text of the amendment, as well as the grammatical alterations that have allowed reactionary courts to interpret it in terms of personal protection -- a purpose that was never intended.
Suffice it to say that those who are serious about being on the right side of history and stopping the endless stream of mass shooting events in this country need to have the information in this book as part of their armamentarium.
I subscribe to Thom Hartmann's Substack blog, and he shared the introduction and foreword of this book last week. I immediately hit my library up for the eBook edition.
Hartmann delves deep into the (extremely racist) history of the 2nd Amendment, the purpose of which was to create militias that were required to participate in slave patrols and/or quell slave uprisings. (In case you're in doubt, Federalist Paper No. 10 and the two Militia Acts go into this as well). Hartmann provides the original text of the amendment, as well as the grammatical alterations that have allowed reactionary courts to interpret it in terms of personal protection -- a purpose that was never intended.
Suffice it to say that those who are serious about being on the right side of history and stopping the endless stream of mass shooting events in this country need to have the information in this book as part of their armamentarium.
August 16, 2019
I did not like the first part of the book, where I felt it skimmed through too much history. It was more presenting a story for the choir than making a convincing case.
When it slowed down for the second part and focused on the second amendment, however, I found it very useful. It included a lot of primary quotes that were new to me and angles (like the early drafts of the amendment) that I'd never heard of before. This part of the book was definitely worth the time spent reading it.
When it slowed down for the second part and focused on the second amendment, however, I found it very useful. It included a lot of primary quotes that were new to me and angles (like the early drafts of the amendment) that I'd never heard of before. This part of the book was definitely worth the time spent reading it.
February 8, 2023
My take away from this audiobook is that in the USA its easier to get a gun license and purchase and use a semi-automatic rifle than it is to get your drivers license and drive a car. Kind screwed up if you ask me. No wonder we have the highest gun deaths of any developed nation.
And yes the book has citations and references. I checked out a physical copy half way through just to make sure.
And yes the book has citations and references. I checked out a physical copy half way through just to make sure.
March 13, 2023
Reasonably clear argument given for gun regulations including identification, competency, liscensing and insurance. Much of the gun history outlined was racially motivated, including the second amendment. I think this is true but Hartmann does cite a list of notes, if you wish to read further. His mentions other country's gun laws, new safety features (such as finger print activated triggers), and the marking of bullets as they are shot to identify the gun.
This is a little book on a huge topic. It is a good start on the second amendment for people who want ideas on researching the topic for debate.
I am most impressed by the racial "black awareness class" that Thom's wife was required to take in high school, (see page 144). This alone would help make a better America. At this time in our country's history, it needs to be expanded upon to include America's wide diversity. This ties into the racial issues around gun crimes.
This is a little book on a huge topic. It is a good start on the second amendment for people who want ideas on researching the topic for debate.
I am most impressed by the racial "black awareness class" that Thom's wife was required to take in high school, (see page 144). This alone would help make a better America. At this time in our country's history, it needs to be expanded upon to include America's wide diversity. This ties into the racial issues around gun crimes.
April 18, 2023
Ooof. This book is short but informative. If you’ve been even remotely paying attention to what is happening in the US, you would know that guns are a hot topic. The book lays out the history of what got us to this point, at least in the context of the second amendment. I’ll definitely be checking out the other books by this author, as well as possibly re-reading this book.
January 3, 2020
Very informative about the history that has led to America's obsession with a "gun right" and what logical regulations can be applied that makes sense for all.
December 30, 2019
A lot of information here that you did not get in history class. Plus a good argument for regulating guns the way we regulate motor vehicles.
December 29, 2019
Not even past chapter 4 and this author has used false information, disputed evidence, outrageous claims without citation, and disproportional comparisons to make his case. If using weak arguments and passing them off as facts is the author's idea of proving points, then there's no way this will be getting a higher rating from me. This book is more about presenting biased opinions on what is today's reason for gun violence.
Update: I don't agree with all he writes and all the facts aren't there. He does make some debate on controlling gun violence.
Update: I don't agree with all he writes and all the facts aren't there. He does make some debate on controlling gun violence.
October 11, 2021
It’s a real eye-opener.
This is one of those books that you wish you hadn’t read when you’re finished. Like receiving a manuscript about your creepy uncle who, though you always knew he was up to no good, you’re still astounded at the extent of his audacity.
I am no fan of Thom Hartman, mostly because I don’t follow him or listen to his radio program. However, I could easily become one, if this book is typical of his approach to a subject.
There’s very little fluff, or puffery. The language is concise and his logic is crystal clear. Reading this book is like taking a class in American history with respect to firearms. I will leave it to Thom to make his case, as only he can. But as it states in the blurb for the book, the author doesn’t just expose the truth, he offers a few simple strategies, (though by no means easy) that could push back against the historical tide of racially biased gun laws.
This is not an anti-gun screed, it’s an honest, and concise appraisal of America’s sordid racist history and how gun laws were used as a weapon themselves to enable the continuation of overt racism.
This is one of those books that you wish you hadn’t read when you’re finished. Like receiving a manuscript about your creepy uncle who, though you always knew he was up to no good, you’re still astounded at the extent of his audacity.
I am no fan of Thom Hartman, mostly because I don’t follow him or listen to his radio program. However, I could easily become one, if this book is typical of his approach to a subject.
There’s very little fluff, or puffery. The language is concise and his logic is crystal clear. Reading this book is like taking a class in American history with respect to firearms. I will leave it to Thom to make his case, as only he can. But as it states in the blurb for the book, the author doesn’t just expose the truth, he offers a few simple strategies, (though by no means easy) that could push back against the historical tide of racially biased gun laws.
This is not an anti-gun screed, it’s an honest, and concise appraisal of America’s sordid racist history and how gun laws were used as a weapon themselves to enable the continuation of overt racism.
July 11, 2019
The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment by Thom Hartmann – read by Scott Brick. A book exposing the political corruption, greed and white supremacy mentality which brought us to today’s crisis will enrage those taking advantage of these situations; however those living within this crisis will find hope and possibly be inspired to join the revolution of change. Racism, radicalism, lobbyism and mental instability are all explored. Hartmann does a wonderful job removing the sugar coating of history we learned in school and linking it to laws and political views in the last 40 or so years. Ending with options of how to change our climate including smart guns, legislation and more, readers will hear about those throughout the world who are actively addressing responsible gun ownership and usage.
August 28, 2019
Hartmann clearly and succinctly presents the argument for gun control and presents his ideas for reducing gun violence. If you're looking for information to use in arguments with pro-gun advocates, this is an excellent resource. For example, the "well-regulated militia" in the Second Amendment refers to the state organizations that served three purposes: as protection against invasion by foreign countries; police forces; and, in the South, as slave patrols. Hartmann provides a well-sourced discussion showing that the Second Amendment was written to provide assurance to the southern states that they would not lose their slaves if they joined the union. You may find the information about what white colonists did to Native Americans shocking, as well. If you're looking for both sides of the gun debate, however, you'll want a different resource.
September 7, 2019
I listened to the audio version of this book on Audible. I was so impressed with it that I ordered the paperback version on Amazon to re-read it and keep for reference.
This is one of the most insightful and informative books I've ever read about the history and politics, as well as the gun issue, in the United States.
The book has a very good format, it's quite short and straight to the point. Highly recommended!
This is one of the most insightful and informative books I've ever read about the history and politics, as well as the gun issue, in the United States.
The book has a very good format, it's quite short and straight to the point. Highly recommended!
July 22, 2019
This book enlarged my thinking on gun culture. Never before had I connected it to dispossesing Indians of their land and slavery, but the case is convincingly made. It convincingly argues that the second amendment had nothing to do with defying a government one disagrees with as it quotes papers by the authors of the amendment.
November 21, 2019
Clearly has a left-leaning bias, and doesn’t attempt to have a balanced approach. However, that doesn’t surprise me since it’s written by a left-wing talk show host. Author fails to mention that most mass shooters have no father in their lives.
June 5, 2019
Find my full review here: https://infinitefreetime.com/2019/06/...
August 16, 2019
A good, if brief, look at the history and politics behind America’s use of, and wrong-headed obsession, with our 2nd Amendment.
August 17, 2019
An interesting treatise on the history and abuse of the Second Amendment by conservative elements. 3 to 3.5 stars.
August 20, 2019
Everyone needs to read this book. The writing of the 2nd Amendment is not at all what the NRA would have citizens believe.
September 4, 2019
Written by a liberal, but facts are facts. An informative read, highly recommend!
September 8, 2019
OK. The history is evident. The solution is evident. Any questions?
October 23, 2019
Very easy to read, easy to understand, good history and sources, read in one evening at work (love the short chapters, makes it fly by)
May 20, 2021
Overall, I found The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment to be an elucidating and relevant read. I learned a lot, but I do have a few bones to pick.
Thom Hartmann, as usual, does an outstanding job "connecting the dots" as he synthesizes seemingly disparate topics into a cohesive whole. He traces the lineage of gun violence from the genocide of the indigenous people on Hispaniola to Andrew Jackson's "Indian Removal" campaign to slavery to Reconstruction to the myths of the Wild West to the establishment of twentieth century gun laws to mass shootings to current issues such mass shootings and 3D printed guns and regulation of them. What did I miss?
Yes, the scope of this book is extensive, and a lot to cover in a mere 150 pages. The reader will find the themes of racism and white supremacy woven throughout these subjects, and, their ill impact is explained well.
Without rehashing the contents of this book, I will say that his common sense solutions to gun violence ought to be effective, but come across as hypothetical in the current political climate. We've had our wake up calls over and over again and little has changed. I can appreciate the cause and effect scenarios that have led to gun violence as Hartmann presents them, such as white males' perceptions that they have been knocked down a rung on the ladder of social standing by women's changing societal roles, and people of color attained some of the rights and opportunities they themselves have had for years. Throw in the lower standard of living set of by Reaganomics and neoliberalism and we have a deadly mix of factors that create angry, white killers. But again, I don't want to summarize this whole book, which at times feels like a summary of these issues itself.
As in the other Hidden History books, Hartmann reiterates his points over and over again, and does so a bit clumsily. I think I found a statistical error, too. In the preface, on page xiii, Hartmann writes , "...the rate of gun violence on a per capita basis in the United States, at 120 killings per 100,000 people..." If my math is correct, in a country of 330,ooo,ooo that equates to 396,000 killing in the US per year. This is way off. I consulted the wikipedia entry he cites, and found that the figure of 120 is referring to the number of guns owned per 100 residents. Then on page 148 Hartmann writes, "... all the other developed nations in the world have managed to keep their gun-deaths-per-hundred-thousand-people rate below 0.5, while in the United States it's more than 6 people killed with guns per 100,000 citizens." This is quite a discrepancy! Maybe I am misinterpreting the data here. If so, somebody tell me. If I am correct, this does not sit well with me. The quote on the cover of the book itself puts the number of gun-related deaths at 34,000.
Other than that, Hartmann refers to the misdeeds of mass shooters as "indiscriminate killing" which cannot be considered racist. However, that does negate the various manifestations of racist indoctrination and practices detailed throughout the book. A good read nonetheless!
Thom Hartmann, as usual, does an outstanding job "connecting the dots" as he synthesizes seemingly disparate topics into a cohesive whole. He traces the lineage of gun violence from the genocide of the indigenous people on Hispaniola to Andrew Jackson's "Indian Removal" campaign to slavery to Reconstruction to the myths of the Wild West to the establishment of twentieth century gun laws to mass shootings to current issues such mass shootings and 3D printed guns and regulation of them. What did I miss?
Yes, the scope of this book is extensive, and a lot to cover in a mere 150 pages. The reader will find the themes of racism and white supremacy woven throughout these subjects, and, their ill impact is explained well.
Without rehashing the contents of this book, I will say that his common sense solutions to gun violence ought to be effective, but come across as hypothetical in the current political climate. We've had our wake up calls over and over again and little has changed. I can appreciate the cause and effect scenarios that have led to gun violence as Hartmann presents them, such as white males' perceptions that they have been knocked down a rung on the ladder of social standing by women's changing societal roles, and people of color attained some of the rights and opportunities they themselves have had for years. Throw in the lower standard of living set of by Reaganomics and neoliberalism and we have a deadly mix of factors that create angry, white killers. But again, I don't want to summarize this whole book, which at times feels like a summary of these issues itself.
As in the other Hidden History books, Hartmann reiterates his points over and over again, and does so a bit clumsily. I think I found a statistical error, too. In the preface, on page xiii, Hartmann writes , "...the rate of gun violence on a per capita basis in the United States, at 120 killings per 100,000 people..." If my math is correct, in a country of 330,ooo,ooo that equates to 396,000 killing in the US per year. This is way off. I consulted the wikipedia entry he cites, and found that the figure of 120 is referring to the number of guns owned per 100 residents. Then on page 148 Hartmann writes, "... all the other developed nations in the world have managed to keep their gun-deaths-per-hundred-thousand-people rate below 0.5, while in the United States it's more than 6 people killed with guns per 100,000 citizens." This is quite a discrepancy! Maybe I am misinterpreting the data here. If so, somebody tell me. If I am correct, this does not sit well with me. The quote on the cover of the book itself puts the number of gun-related deaths at 34,000.
Other than that, Hartmann refers to the misdeeds of mass shooters as "indiscriminate killing" which cannot be considered racist. However, that does negate the various manifestations of racist indoctrination and practices detailed throughout the book. A good read nonetheless!
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