Armed

by Gary Kleck

The gun control debate is often obscured by strong emotions and unproven assumptions. According to conventional wisdom accidents with handguns account for a significant number of deaths among children, gun owners endanger themselves more than they ward off potential criminal assailants, and there is a widespread legal consensus that the Second Amendment does not support the individual right to bear arms. All of these assumptions, and many others, say researchers Gary Kleck and Don Kates, are contradicted by the weight of criminological and legal evidence. Hoping to disentangle myth from reality, the authors summarize the results and policy implications of recent state-of-the-art research on guns and violence in accessible, nontechnical language.

Among the topics addressed are media bias in coverage of gun issues, the distorting effects that a covert prohibitionist agenda has on the debate over more moderate measures for reducing gun violence, the frequency and effectiveness of the defensive use of guns, and a close analysis of the Second Amendment.

This well-argued and scrupulously researched volume is essential for any full understanding of the complex gun issue.

Genres: Politics

363 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2001

Reviews

[Mountainman91 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent examination, not of opinions, not of arguments, but of facts about gun control. My only quibble is that the author (in a strange and nearly irrelevant passage) goes out of his way to create a straw-man version of creationism, and then compares it to the arguments gun control advocates make. Beyond that, though, the book contains excellent statistical data and research.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating book looks at the gun control issue “armed” with facts that nobody talks about. Highly recommended.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Armedis a challenging read (I had to have a dictionary handy.), but is a stunning, factual repudiation of major gun control arguments. The deception (sometimes innocent,often intentionally) promulgated by pro-gun control advocates is laid bare. This volume is essential reading for a person that wants to understand the nature of the gun debate in America.

[Kit]

Recommend on Free Thoughts podcast by Cato institute 1/5/18 episode.