Includes bibliographical references (pages 192-196) and index.

Chapter 1 Guns in Early America -- 1 English Origins of Gun Rights / Joyce Lee Malcolm 22 -- 2 American Gun Culture Is Rooted in History and Political Ideology / Richard Hofstadter 30 -- 3 Militia Act of 1792 / United States Congress 38 -- 4 Rampant Violence Prompts Early Attempts at Gun Control / William Weir 43 -- 5 Outlawing Private Militias / William Allan Woods 47 -- Chapter 2 Debating the Purpose of the Second Amendment -- 1 Second Amendment as Viewed by Gun Rights Supporters / Constance Emerson Crooker 55 -- 2 Second Amendment Protects an Individual Right / Sanford Levinson 63 -- 3 Second Amendment Does Not Prohibit Gun Regulation / David W. Clark 70 -- 4 Early Legal Scholars Supported an Individual Right to Bear Arms / Steven G. Bradbury, Howard C. Nielson Jr., C. Kevin Marshall 75 -- 5 Individual-Right Interpretation of the Second Amendment Is Unfounded / Saul Cornell 82 -- Chapter 3 Gun Control in the 1960s: Beginning of the Controversy -- 1 Stricter Gun Regulation Is Necessary / Tom Batman 92 -- 2 Gun Control Violates the Rights of Citizens / Frank S. Meyer 97 -- 3 Number of Handguns Must Be Reduced / George D. Newton Jr., Franklin E. Zimring 101 -- 4 National Rifle Association Hardens Its Opposition to Gun Control / Osha Gray Davidson 108 -- Chapter 4 Gun Control Legislation in the 1980s and 1990s -- 1 Gun Rights Groups and Law Enforcement Clash / Diana Lambert 117 -- 2 Brady Bill Is the Centerpiece of American Gun Control / James B. Jacobs 125 -- 3 Waiting Periods and Background Checks Will Prevent Gun Crimes / Sarah Brady 132 -- 4 Waiting Periods for Gun Purchases Are Ineffective and Unconstitutional / David B. Kopel 139 -- Chapter 5 Gun Control Issues and Activism -- 1 Terrorists May Obtain Weapons at Gun Shows / Loren Berger, Dennis Henigan 151 -- 2 Gun Control Will Not Prevent Terrorism / Wayne LaPierre, James Jay Baker 159 -- 3 Better Regulation of Guns Will Save Lives / David Hemenway 164 -- 4 Policy Makers Lack Knowledge of America's Gun Culture / Philip Cohen, Andy Coghlan 170 -- 5 Effort to Hold Gun Makers Liable for Gun-Related Crime / Greg Sargent 174.