Faculty/Staff Detail

Robert Spitzer, Political Science Department, has been informed that his new book, Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights, has been accepted for publication by Oxford University Press. The book argues that the contemporary debate pitting gun rights against gun regulations is based on a misunderstanding of America’s gun past. While gun possession is as old as the country, so are gun laws, and throughout most of our history, the two have gone hand in hand. Drawing on a vast new dataset of early gun laws, the book shows that gun regulations in America’s early history were, if anything, more strict than they are now. In addition, the book examines the Second Amendment and the assault weapons controversy, “stand-your-ground” laws, and New York state’s recent strict new laws. The narrative also includes the author’s effort to obtain a pistol permit. The book is scheduled for publication by Oxford in March 2015. Spitzer is the author of four other books on gun policy.