Presents arguments for and against the licensing and control of firearms in the United States, examining the historical role of guns, the constitutionality of restricting gun ownership, past and current legislation, and proposals for new restrictions.

Presents a brief history of gun control and the Second Amendment, discussing the massacre at Sandy Hook and offering arguments for and against stronger gun control laws.

" The majority of gun deaths in the United States are suicide deaths, and the majority of suicide deaths are gun deaths. Most people are unaware that suicide, at nearly 43,000 deaths per year, is more common than homicide and other widely publicized tragedies. And yet, suicide is typically absent from discussions of gun violence. As such, the national conversation on gun violence is inadequate and unrelated to the majority of gun deaths in this country....

"With the tragic rise in school shootings in recent decades, gun control is increasingly becoming a matter on which children are qualified to weigh in. However, without an understanding of what gun control measures are being proposed and debated, it is impossible to formulate an informed opinion. Full-color photographs and engaging fact boxes augment the informative text, which aims to provide readers with a deeper understanding of why the gun control...

Discusses the importance of the gun in American history and culture and the present issue of gun control both in other countries and our own.