The Gun Debate

No topic is more polarizing than guns and gun control. From a gun culture that took root early in American history to the mass shootings that repeatedly bring the public discussion of gun control to a fever pitch, the topic has preoccupied citizens, public officials, and special interest
groups for decades.

The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know(R) delves into the issues that Americans debate when they talk about guns. With a balanced and broad-ranging approach, noted economist Philip J. Cook and political scientist Kristin A. Goss thoroughly cover the latest research, data, and developments on gun
ownership, gun violence, the firearms industry, and the regulation of firearms. The authors also tackle sensitive issues such as the effectiveness of gun control, the connection between mental illness and violent crime, the question of whether more guns make us safer, and ways that video games and
the media might contribute to gun violence. No discussion of guns in the U.S. would be complete without consideration of the history, culture, and politics that drive the passion behind the debate. Cook and Goss deftly explore the origins of the American gun culture and the makeup of both the gun
rights and gun control movements.

Written in question-and-answer format, the book will help readers make sense of the ideologically driven statistics and slogans that characterize our national conversation on firearms. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in getting a clear view of the issues surrounding guns and gun
policy in America.

What Everyone Needs to Know(R) is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.


"...the authors are without doubt two of the best-informed and serious gun scholars publishing today ... they have written a very balanced and well-documented essay that objectively summarizes the state of the gun argument on both sides of the debate." -Mike the Gun Guy

"The Gun Debate is written in an admirably neutral tone. Summarizing results from hundreds of studies, the book makes a hugely positive contribution toward sensitive and sensible evidence-based evaluation of what has worked, and what hasn't, in gun control - and why. The language is straightforward
English, not econ-speak or reams of tables and statistics. There is something for everyone to take away from this book." --Stone Garden Economics

"Too many debates about public policy in the US suffer from the absence of accurate information, careful reasoning, and objective research. This superb book not only supplies all that for firearm regulation at the national, state, and local levels but also serves as a sterling model for other policy
topics." -CHOICE

"WOW! + rated. Just the facts from all points of view." -The Lone Star Book Review

"Cook and Goss, public policy professors at Duke University, provide a fantastic overview of the major issues. Although they tend to favor stricter regulation, their book is balanced--and frank about what both sides get wrong." -The Washington Post