Shots in the Dark - Hardcover

Vizzard, William J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 084769559X ISBN 13: 9780847695591

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000

Synopsis

Starting with Columbine, school shootings have brought the issue of gun control to the forefront of the American consciousness. Why it won't rise to the top of the political agenda is an important part of the story that Will Vizzard tells. Drawing on Congressional hearings, interviews, thirty years of research, and personal experience as a special agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the author takes a step back from both advocates and opponents of gun control to survey the U.S. gun landscape. What he finds there is a scene dominated by policy and public opinion extremism as well as a powerful combination of history and symbolism that impede the resolution of this conflict.

Neither a call for gun prohibition nor a diatribe against gun control, this book is intended for those with a particular interest in firearms as well as serious students of public policy and criminal justice. In addition to covering a century of gun control policy, the author addresses such current issues as assault weapons, right-to-carry and concealed-carry laws, school shootings, and recent elections. Unlike its several counterparts, SHOTS IN THE DARK sheds light on a balanced and pragmatic approach to gun control legislation.

About this title

About the Author:

William J. Vizzard is associate professor of criminal justice at California State University, Sacramento, and a former agent, supervisor, and Special Agent in Charge in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Review:

Vizzard brings twenty-seven years of experience to his subject, which is a detailed critique of every gun law passed since New York restricted handguns in 1911. (Times Literary Supplement)

After a long career enforcing America's gun laws, William Vizzard is uniquely qualified to referee the national debate on these laws. He offers a grounded assessment, nicely informed by history and interest-group politics, but especially by experience. And that experience helps illuminate the false dichotomy between controlling guns and punishing violent criminals: In fact, gun control laws actually facilitate the arrest and prosecution of violent criminals. That insight alone is worth the price of admission to this important book. (Philip J. Cook, Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University)

This is not a book for people looking for simple, easy answers to a complex problem. The author's extensive background has informed a well-researched presentation of the possibilities and pitfalls of all aspects of this burning national issue. (Michael K. Beard, president, Coaltion to Stop Gun Violence)

Both the public library patron and academic researcher have much to gain from this text. (Library Journal)

Invaluable to anyone interested in gun control, no matter what his/her personal position or level of expertise. All readers―even the most advanced students of the issue―will obtain important new facts and insights from it. (Don B. Kates, Jr., Author of The Great American Gun Debate)

Vizzard has put forth a comprehensive, scholarly, and balanced study of the politics of gun control. An important work . . . policymakers will want to consider it carefully. (CHOICE)

In an attempt to present a balanced and pragmatic approach to gun control, this volume reviews a century of gun control policy and finds more than the NRA at work. Underlying the extremism in current public opinion Vizzard finds a context of history and symbolism that complicates reaching a resolution in this policy area. (Public Administration Review)

Very sophisticated thinking on this contentious issue. (Future Survey)

Anyone who really wants to understand guns in America should go first, and probably finally, to this book. (Baltimore Sun)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 084769559X
• ISBN 13: 9780847695591
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288