Gun Politics in America

Harry L. Wilson is director of the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research and professor of political science at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, USA.

Preface
Introduction
Chronology

Volume 1: 1680–1980

1. Guns in a Frontier Nation
1. Controlling Slaves and Free Blacks in the Colonies: Acts from Virginia (1680) and South Carolina (1712)
2. Connecticut Firearm Impressment Law (1756)
3. George Washington’s Early Revolutionary War Thoughts on the Value of the Militia (1776)
4. A Firearms Provisions in Pennsylvania’s State Constitution (1776)
5. The Militia Clauses in the U.S. Constitution (1787)
6. Divergent Views of the Citizen Militia: Webster (1787) and Madison (1788)
7. Alexander Hamilton discusses the militia, a standing army, and rebellion (1788)
8. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1791)
9. The Militia Acts Authorize the President to Set Militia Standards (1792)
10. Congress Addresses Control of Militias with the Calling Forth Act (1792)
11. Equality, Civilized Society, and the Right to Bear Arms: Joel Barlow (1792)
12. Louisiana’s Black Code Bans Gun Ownership by Slaves (1806)
13. State Court Decisions Define the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (1822–1859)
14. Barron v. Baltimore Holds That the Bill of Rights Does Not Apply to the States (1833)
15. Technological Advances, Sporting Arms, and the Emerging Civilian Firearms Market: Colt Advertisement (1860)

2. Firearms Regulations in the Post–Civil War South and the Western Frontier

16. Providing Aid to Former Slaves: Freedmen’s Bureau Act (1866)
17. Kansas Enacts a Ban on Carrying Deadly Weapons (1867)
18. The Fourteenth Amendment Is Adopted (1868)
19. The National Rifle Association Finds a Shooting Home (1872)
20. The Post–Civil War South, Race, and the Fourteenth Amendment: U.S. v. Cruikshank (1876)
21. An Illinois Court Affirms the Militia Interpretation of the Second Amendment (1879)
22. Tombstone, Arizona, Prohibits Carrying a Firearm in Town (1881)
23. May Citizens Form Their Own Military Groups? Presser v. Illinois (1886)
24. Texas Governor Jim Hogg Lambasts Those Who Carry Concealed Firearms (1893)

3. Prohibition-Era Violence Brings Federal Gun Control

25. The Origin of the Collective Right Theory: Salina v. Blaksley (1905)
26. The Birth of Modern Gun Control: The Sullivan Act (1911)
27. The American Bar Association Recommends Banning Handguns (1922)
28. NRA Shooting Clubs and Police Training (1923)
29. National Standards Developed for Machine Guns and Other Firearms: The Uniform Machine Gun Act (1932)
30. Gangster Violence Gains National Attention: The Kansas City Massacre (1933)
31. National Firearms Act of 1934
32. The NRA President Testifies in Favor of State Gun Regulations (1934)
33. Franklin Roosevelt Discusses the National Firearms Act (1934)
34. Federal Firearms Act (1938)
35. The Department of Justice Argues for Collective Right Interpretation of the Second Amendment (1939)
36. The Supreme Court Upholds Gun Control: United States v. Miller (1939)
37. A Federal Court Responds to the Supreme Court Ruling in U.S. v. Miller (1942)

4. The Tumult of the 1960s Brings a New Politics of Confrontation

38. Two Prominent Democrats Describe Gun Ownership as a Safeguard against Tyranny (1960)
39. President Lyndon Johnson Addresses the Crime Problem (1965)
40. Senator Thomas Dodd Introduces New Gun Control Legislation (1965)
41. President Johnson Pushes Again for Gun Control (1968)
42. President Johnson Signs the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (1968)
43. President Johnson Urges Passage of the Gun Control Act (1968)
44. A Study Commissioned by Gun Manufacturers Calls for New Firearms Regulation (1968)
45. The Gun Control Act of 1968
46. The Kerner Commission Recommends New Gun Control Measures (1968)
47. A Scathing Dissent on Gun Control from a Liberal Justice (1972)
48. President Richard Nixon Discusses Gun Control (1973)
49. Senator Ted Kennedy Introduces a Bill Calling for Major New Handgun Regulations (1975)
50. Senator Roman Hruska Offers an Alternative Handgun Policy (1975)
51. Ford Administration Officials Discuss Handguns and Gun Control (1975)
52. Washington, D.C., Enacts a Strict Gun Law (1976)
53. President Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter Debate Gun Control (1976)
54. The U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Gun Regulations as a Reasonable Exercise of Police Power (1980)

Volume 2: 1981–2023

5. Intensifying Divisions over Gun Control during the Reagan Years

55. The Town of Morton Grove, Illinois, Bans Handguns (1981)
56. The Town of Kennesaw, Georgia, Mandates Firearms Ownership (1981)
57. Ronald Reagan Addresses the NRA Annual Meeting (1983)
58. Reagan Signs the Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act (1985)
59. A Survey of Criminals Sheds Some Light on Gun Procurement and Use (1986)
60. Congress Debates the Firearms Owners Protection Act (1986)
61. Sarah Brady and the American Medical Association Speak Out in Favor of Waiting Periods and Background Checks (1988)
62. Gun Rights Advocates Argue against a Waiting Period for Handgun Purchases (1988)
63. Democratic Lawmakers Exchange Words with Gun Rights Leaders over Background Checks and Waiting Periods (1988)
64. President George H. W. Bush Comments on Gun Control Early in His Term (1989)
65. Differing Perspectives on Gun Violence Prevention and Handguns for Self-Defense (1989)
66. A School Official Extols the Social Value of Shooting Sports (1989)
67. A Police Officer Discusses Irresponsible Gun Ownership and the Toll of Guns in Schools (1989)

6. The Partisan Divide over Guns Widens in the 1990s

68. Gun-Free Schools Act (1990) and United States v. Lopez (1995)
69. A Convicted Gun Runner Explains How He Conducted His Business (1993)
70. The NRA Voices Opposition to New Restrictions on Federal Firearms Licenses (1993)
71. ATF Voices Concerns about the Proliferation of Firearms Dealers (1993)
72. Gun Dealers Voice Support for Tightening Federal Firearms License Requirements (1993)
73. Gun Control and Gun Rights Advocates Clash on the Brady Bill (1993)
74. Congress Discusses the Brady Bill (1993)
75. President Clinton Signs the Brady Bill (1993)
76. The Senate Debates the Assault Weapons Ban and the Larger Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (1994)
77. President Clinton Signs the Assault Weapons Ban (1994)
78. A Republican Senator Condemns the NRA’s “Jack-Booted Thug” Fund-Raising Letter (1995)
79. House of Representatives Discusses Funding for Gun Research by the Centers for Disease Control (1996)
80. A Heated Exchange in the Senate over the Lautenberg Amendment (1996)
81. U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in Printz v. United States Overturns Part of the Brady Bill (1997)
82. The Columbine High School Shootings Spur New Scrutiny of Gun Laws (1999)
83. The NRA Defends Its Members and Expresses Support for Closing the So-Called Gun Show Loophole (1999)
84. A Progun Scholar Argues That Gun Control Costs Lives (1999)
85. Future Attorney General Eric Holder Debates Gun Control with a Republican House Member (1999)
86. President Clinton Discusses a Bill to Close the So-Called Gun Show Loophole (1999)
87. Congress Debates Background Checks at Gun Shows (1999)
88. The Clinton Administration Announces an Agreement with Smith & Wesson (2000)

7. Legal Victories for Gun Rights in an Era of Mass Killings and Declining Crime

89. Homicide and Criminal Victimization (1980-2020)
90. The Justice Department Changes Positions on the Second Amendment (2001)
91. Bush Press Secretary Scott McClellan Discusses Lawsuits against the Gun Industry (2004)
92. A Democratic Senator Blames George W. Bush for Expiration of the Assault Weapons Ban (2004)
93. Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (2004)
94. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (2005)
95. A Former NRA Staffer Describes the Group as More Concerned with Money Than Gun Rights (2007)
96. The U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down the D.C. Gun Ban (2008)
97. Four Justices Dissent in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)
98. President George W. Bush Praises the Heller Decision (2008)
99. McDonald v. Chicago Extends Individual Gun Rights to the States (2010)
100. House Speaker John Boehner Discusses the Importance of U.S. Supreme Court Appointments to Gun Rights (2010)

8. Presidential Priorities, Crime Rate Changes, and a Pandemic

101. President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney Debate Gun Violence and Gun Laws (2012)
102. President Obama Speaks at the Memorial Service for Sandy Hook Victims (2012)
103. President Obama Announces Efforts to Reduce Gun Violence (2013)
104. Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly Call for New Gun Laws after the Sandy Hook Massacre (2013)
105. A Gun Rights Advocate Warns of the Unintended Consequences of Gun Laws (2013)
106. Wayne LaPierre Appears before Congress after the Sandy Hook School Shootings (2013)
107. Debating the Need for Stricter Gun Laws at a Senate Hearing (2013)
108. President Obama Reacts to the Filibuster of the Manchin-Toomey Amendment (2013)
109. Obama and Trump Administrations Spar Over Operation Chokepoint (2013 and 2017)
110. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal Signs a Bill Extending Concealed Carry (2014)
111. A Gun Control Advocate Urges New Laws to Keep Firearms from Stalkers (2014)
112. Defending Gun Rights for Women in Domestic Abuse Situations (2014)
113. A Scholar Testifies on Protecting Women from Gun Violence (2014)
114. The U.S. Supreme Court Places New Limits on Straw Purchasers (2014)
115. The House of Representatives Explores Operation Chokepoint (2015)
116. President Trump Speaks at the NRA Convention (2017)
117. Democratic Senators Plead with Supreme Court to Uphold New York City Gun Law (2019)
118. The NRA’s Legal Battle with its Advertising/Public Relations Agency (2021)
119. New Survey of Defensive Gun Use Submitted to the Supreme Court (2021)
120. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022)
121. The Supreme Court Strikes Down New York’s Concealed Carry Law (2022)
122. State Laws Regarding Concealed Carry Permits Differ Enormously (2022)
123. The House of Representatives Debates “Assault Weapons” and the Role of Gun Manufacturers in Mass Shootings (2022)
124. The Uvalde Shootings Spur More Congressional Hearings (2022)
125. Experts Offer Differing Solutions to Gun Violence to Congress (2022)
126. New York and New Jersey Respond to Bruen with New Regulations (2022)
127. New York Attempts to Dissolve the National Rifle Association (2022)
128. California Governor Proposes 28th Amendment to the Constitution (2023)

Subject Index