• Introduction


• 1. America and Its Guns


• 2. Reasons for Owning a Firearm


• 3. The Value of Guns for Safety and Protection


• 4. The Costs of Gun Violence


• 5. Causes of Gun Violence


• 6. Manufacture and Marketing of Guns


• 7. How America Regulates Firearms


• 8. Effectiveness of Firearms Policy


• 9. Guns and Gun Control in History


• 10. Public Opinion and Political Party Positions on Guns


• 11. The Gun Rights Movement


• 12. The Gun Control Movement


• 13. Gun Policy Going Forward


• Bibliography


• Index

Philip J. Cook is ITT/Terry Sanford Professor Emeritus of Public Policy Studies, Economics, and Sociology at Duke University. He is the co-author (with Jens Ludwig) of Gun Violence: The Real Costs.
Kristin A. Goss is Kevin D. Gorter Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University. She is the author of Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America.

The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know® takes readers on a tour of the issues that Americans debate when they talk about guns. The volume includes information on gun control pertaining to U.S. history, jurisprudence, cultural beliefs, political agendas, epidemiologcal data, criminology, law and regulation, and policy effectiveness.