by Adam Winkler
First published 2011
Adam Winkler examines America's gun debate by following the 2008 Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down Washington DC's handgun ban. Winkler argues that gun control and gun rights have battled for four centuries, producing unexpected alliances and reversals. He shows how the Ku Klux Klan began as a gun control group, how the Black Panthers sparked the modern gun rights movement, and how Ronald Reagan worked to limit gun ownership. The book traces this conflict from the Founding Fathers and the Second Amendment through contemporary politics. Winkler connects the stories of advocates on both sides, revealing how the current divide developed and why it remains so bitter. The book offers readers new perspectives on a debate that continues to split the nation.
Genres: history, political-science, politics, non-fiction, law, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, historical-fiction
Setting: America, District of Columbia, United States
Period: 21st-century, Founding Fathers
384 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton Company