The Politics of Gun Control

283 Pages·3.007 MB·English

The Politics of Gun Control
The new edition of this classic text covers the latest developments in American
gun policy, including shooting incidents plaguing the American landscape—
especially the Orlando nightclub shootings, the San Bernardino incident, and
the ongoing legacy of Sandy Hook—placing them in context with similar re-
cent events. The incidents described in the book sparked a wave of gun con-
trol legislation at local, state, and national levels, some of which was successful,
some doomed, and all controversial. Robert J. Spitzer has long been a recog-
nized authority on gun control and gun policy. His even-handed treatment
of the issue—as both a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and
the Brady Center—continues to compel national and international interest,
including interviews by the likes of Terry Gross, Tom Ashbrook, and Diane
Rehm. The seventh edition of The Politics of Gun Control provides the reader
with up-to-date data and coverage of gun ownership, gun deaths, school shoot-
ings, border patrols, and new topics including social media, stand-your-ground
laws, magazine regulation, and shooting-related mental health initiatives.
New to the Seventh Edition
• Reports on the pivotal 2016 elections, including the rise and victory of one-
time gun-control supporter turned gun-rights advocate Donald Trump.
• The latest data on gun ownership and use, revealing contradictory trends.
• New developments in the push to allow civilian gun carrying on college
campuses, the controversy over so-called “gun-free zones,” and a new
examination of restrictions imposed on the Centers for Disease Control.
Robert J. Spitzer is Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of the Political
Science Department at the State University of New York College at Cortland.
He served on the New York State Commission on the Bicentennial of the
U.S. Constitution, and from 2001 to 2003, was president of the Presidency
Research Group of the American Political Science Association.
Praise for the Seventh Edition
First published in 1995 and frequently updated, Robert Spitzer’s excellent work is my
go-to book for gun control. It is the single best primer available on gun control, and this
new edition should be first on any list of readings on the topic. Anyone with an interest in
firearms—for whatever reason—must read this book.
Charles W. Smith, The Ohio State University
Bringing a classic book like this one up to date is always an important event. In this new
edition, Robert Spitzer moves seamlessly between legal, social, and political perspectives
to deliver a comprehensive panorama touching all the significant and nuanced issues in
the current gun debate.
Michael R. Weisser, Founder of Mike the Gun Guy: News and Notes about Guns;
Author of Guns for Good Guys, Guns for Bad Guys
The Politics of Gun Control is a classic work in American politics and policy. The seventh
edition continues to capture students’ imaginations (and those of faculty as well). Although
arguments over gun control are frequently emotional, Robert Spitzer does his customary
excellent job in providing a smart, clear-headed approach to an explosive issue.
Burdett Loomis, University of Kansas
This is the definitive book on gun politics, written by the dean of gun politics scholars.
Kristin A. Goss, Duke University
Robert Spitzer’s The Politics of Gun Control remains the source for in-depth, thorough,
and fair information and analysis for the politics of firearms in the United States. In the
crisp and thoroughly readable narrative of this new edition, Spitzer takes his audience
from the Founding Era to the time of Trump, providing valuable and thought-provoking
insight at every stop along the way. A very important piece of work.
Mark D. Brewer, University of Maine
The new edition of The Politics of Gun Control demonstrates that Robert Spitzer remains
the preeminent scholar of firearm policy. He continues to deepen and refine his approach
to the gun issue, providing a sober treatment of the persistence of gun violence and its
relevance for making regulatory social policy. Spitzer’s detailed analysis and crystal-clear
writing make this volume valuable for students at all levels, for public policy researchers,
and for the general public.
Glenn H. Utter, Lamar University
The Politics of Gun Control is well-researched and comprehensive, and—most impor-
tantly—accessible for modern students of public policy. Through the lens of gun pol-
icy, Robert Spitzer superbly captures the nuances, absurdities, and relative certainties of
American public policy.
Zachary L. Wilhide, Old Dominion University
Robert Spitzer has written the classic work on the gun control problem: His analysis is
comprehensive, penetrating, and dispassionate. With essential information and perspec-
tive on the United States’ weak gun laws, this new edition of The Politics of Gun Control
should be the primary resource for all researchers, engaged citizens, and public officials.
Raymond Tatalovich, Loyola University Chicago
The Politics
of Gun Control
Seventh Edition
Robert J. Spitzer
State University of New York College at Cortland
Published 2018
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis
The right of Robert J. Spitzer to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by
him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Chatham House Publishers 1995
Sixth edition published by Paradigm Publishers 2015 and Routledge 2016
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Spitzer, Robert J., 1953–
Title: The politics of gun control / Robert J. Spitzer,
State University of New York College at Cortland.
Description: Seventh Edition. | New York: Routledge, 2018. |
Revised edition of the author’s The politics of gun control, [2015] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017028736 | ISBN 9781138559134 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781138559141 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780203713037 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Gun control—United States.
Classification: LCC HV7436 .S68 2018 | DDC 363.330973—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017028736
ISBN: 978-1-138-55913-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-55914-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-71303-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Minion
by codeMantra
To the memories of Ted Lowi (1931–2017), mentor, friend, bon vivant;
Bill Spitzer (1921–1996);
Ed Artinian (1936–1997);
and to my wonderful Tess
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Contents
Preface ix
New to This Edition xi
Acknowledgments xii
About the Author xiii
Introduction 1
1. Policy Definition and Gun Control 9
Regulation, Public Order, and Public Policy 10
Guns and Regulation 12
The Gun Controversy 14
The Gun Culture 17
Policy Gridlock 24
Social Regulatory Policy Analysis 26
2. The Second Amendment: Meaning, Intent,
Interpretation, and Consequences 33
Historic Roots 35
The Constitution 38
The Bill of Rights 41
The Militia Transformed 44
Supreme Court Rulings 47
Other Court Rulings 53
Bad History Makes Bad Law 54
Conclusion 61
3. The Criminological Consequences of Guns 72
America and Violence 75
Choice of Weapons 79
Homicide and Malicious Injury 81
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Suicide 82
Accidents 86
Self-Defense 87
Guns and School Violence 102
Gun Carrying on College Campuses? 107
“Stand Your Ground” Laws: Extending the “Castle Doctrine”
to America’s Streets 109
Conclusion 114
4. Political Fury: Gun Politics 128
Single-Issue Gun Groups: The NRA 130
Explaining the NRA’s Effectiveness 142
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 152
The Million Mom March 154
New Gun Control Groups Enter the Fray 155
The Gun Control Movement’s Strategic Blunders 157
The Political Balance and the Invincibility Myth 158
Public Opinion 162
Political Parties and Guns 167
Conclusion 172
5. Institutions, Policymaking, and Guns 183
Early Legislative Efforts 184
The Gun Control Act of 1968 186
The Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 191
The Tide Turns: The Assault-Weapons Ban 195
The Brady Bill 202
The Post-Columbine Reaction 209
Lawsuit Protection for Gun Manufacturers 211
Sandy Hook 214
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives 216
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 225
Conclusion: Furious Politics, Marginal Policy 226
6. Gun Policy: A New Framework 237
Federalism: The Great Regulation Dilemma 238
Gun Policy Alternatives 241
The Barriers to Gun Control 242
The Security Dilemma 244
The Security Dilemma and the Gun Debate 246
Nonproliferation and Arms Control 252
Index 261
Preface
E
very now and then, the name of a location or a hitherto anony-
mous person’s name becomes famous, whether for good reasons or bad. In
the case of gun policy, sudden fame or infamy is readily identifiable to most.
This new edition of The Politics of Gun Control was motivated in part by the
sudden notoriety of several such names: a formerly anonymous elementary
school in Connecticut called Sandy Hook, a nondescript office building in
San Bernardino, California, a typical shopping mall movie theater in Aurora,
Colorado, the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, an African American teen-
ager named Trayvon Martin, and a neighborhood watch volunteer named
George Zimmerman. Because of a brief altercation between Martin and
Zimmerman, the phrase “stand your ground” entered the American gun de-
bate. In a similarly controversial situation, an action movie franchise series
with the zippy title Fast and Furious (there have been seven such movies to
date, starring Vin Diesel) suddenly took on a second, very different meaning
when the title was chosen by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,
and Explosives (ATF) to name what became a botched gun-running operation
into Mexico that may have resulted in the death of an American agent and that
gave the ATF a new political black eye.
But this study of gun policy in America is more than a collection of stories
about horrifying tragedies or tragic mistakes. Policy analysis means, in part,
careful analysis of cases, trends, and policy change to discern meaning and
insight.
This project began in classic academic style. Three decades ago a colleague
contacted me to inquire about my interest in writing a chapter for a policy is-
sues book. I was offered a choice of topics and settled on gun control, in large
part because I knew little about the topic aside from what I read in the occa-
sional newspaper article. One of the joys of academic life is the opportunity to
examine and research subjects for the sheer pleasure of exploration. So, it was
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