1. Bilchik, Shay.
This report is a government study conducted to ascertain the range of influential factors and interventional measures pertaining to youth gun violence. It divides its research into numerous categories such as legislation, enforcement, prevention, etc. This document gives a very comprehensive overview of gun control centered on youth procurement and violence.
This report was useful for its objective governmental standpoint on the issue. It set a clear line dividing the opposing standpoints on the issue from the position of youth violence. It also offered a model outline for structuring my argument as well as including a number of federal mandates.
2. Bilukha, Oleg Phd, Md, Robert Phd Hahn, and Alex, Md Crosby.
Reports Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies for Preventing Violence: Firearms Laws. 3 Oct. 2003. 16 Apr. 2008
This report focuses on the effectiveness of various gun control laws on reducing violence and injury in areas they are enacted. Most gun activists use the argument that violent crimes happen with or without guns but this study takes a highly objective stance backed with data approached scientifically.
This article was very effective in criticizing the effectiveness in gun laws which serves as the fuel for most gun activists arguments. Even though the report produced inconclusive results (as most govt. studies do), it still gave a critical account of our government’s legislative attempts to curb gun violence free from bias.
3. Edel, Wilbur. Gun Control : Threat to
This source is a rather poorly written book for the general public which tries to encompass all variables relating to gun control in this country. The author gives the reader a short lesson in American history and then divides the rest of the text into chapters such as “The Propaganda Campaign” and “The Practice in Other Countries”.
I didn’t think this source was very useful as I found the verbiage on a fifth grade level and most of the information rife will ill conceived opinion and conjecture. The book did however make a connection between
4. Henderson, Harry. Gun Control.
This source touts itself as being an “encyclopedia in a book” and earns that title by providing general information on laws and issues as well as numerous appendix listings of related organizations, court cases, and studies. It also contains an annotated bibliography of its own and a guide to further research.
I chose this source for its simplistic organization and inclusion of an annotated bibliography which I could use as a model for my own work. This source was very helpful in developing a general outline which I plan to use for the final essay.
5. Heston, Charlton. "Truth and Consequences." Yale Political
This speech given to Yale students covers the issue of gun control from the former president of the NRA. Mr. Heston speaks of the governments irresponsibility enforcing current gun laws and the increasing trend of blaming manufacturers for their products instead of the consumer.
This speech was far from what I expected as far as the namely conservative views put forth about the Kosovo conflict and gun policy. It was helpful to see the president of the NRA agree that current gun laws should be enforced but that may have just been icing to mask the bashing he gave the Clinton Administration. This speech helped center my argument by removing some of the bias I held.
6. "In the Cross-Hairs." The Economist 8 July 2000. Lexus Nexus.
This is a well written article centering on the NRA’s place in today’s politics. Ir discusses how the NRA affects gun control laws by helping elect and influencing lawmakers.
I found this article very useful as it established the rights attempts to stifle further gun control provisions. It was refreshing to see the NRA’s motives exposed on a worldwide stage.
7. Kruschke, Earl R. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
This book offers a simplified version of various court decisions and viewpoints from key debaters on both sides on the issue of gun control. It also divides its numerous arguments into an individualist and collectivist viewpoint.
I found it helpful to see this issue in the different sense of individual and collective rights. The simplification of the various court cases and their verdicts was better than the other sources and provided further insight with less jargon.
8. Levitt, Steven D. "Understanding Why Crime Fell in the 1990s: Four Factors That Explain the Decline and Six That Do Not." Journal of Economic Perspectives 18 (2004): 163-190. 16 Apr. 2008
This article focused on statistical changes in the crime rate during the 90’s. It also offered reasons why the drop occurred and discounted other reasons the media had put forth.
This article was very helpful in defining the academic voice apart from mainstream thought. The charts and diagrams gave a visual account of the information I have been researching,
9. Squires, Peter. Gun Culture or Gun Control? Abingdon: Taylor & Francis Ltd., 2000. 16 Apr. 2008.
This discusses the difference between countries that ban guns and cultures like ours. It offers a poignant discussion of the pros and cons of allowing citizens the right to carry arms.
This book helped to define the differences between cultures on opposite sides of the gun experiment. I found it very helpful in that it focused on actual trials and tribulations instead of theory and added a new perspective on my topic.
10. Tushnet, Mark V. Out of Range.
This book makes the claim that the constitution will never allow for this discussion to end. The author covers many of the viewpoints and believes the debate is unable to be settled.
This book didn’t really cover anything new except for stating there will never be a resolution. It was a change of pace to see the issue written about from that viewpoint.
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