Under Fire: The Nra and the Battle for Gun Control - Hardcover

Davidson, Osha Gray

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805019049 ISBN 13: 9780805019049

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1993

Synopsis

A look at the NRA today examines such issues as the link between drugs and guns, the NRA's connection with gun manufacturers, its unsteady relationship with the police, and the growing schism within the organization. 15,000 first printing.

About this title

Review

"An insightful, behind-the-scenes look at a powerful special interest group that has managed to prevent enactment of sensible gun laws for the last century . . . this book is a must."--Sarah Brady, Handgun Control, Inc.

"An excellent piece of reporting . . . strongly argued. . . . Davidson is a thoughtful social critic who
leads us carefully through a complicated, interesting, and very American bit of history."--"Los Angeles Times

An insightful, behind-the-scenes look at a powerful special interest group that has managed to prevent enactment of sensible gun laws for the last century . . . this book is a must. --Sarah Brady, Handgun Control, Inc."

An excellent piece of reporting . . . strongly argued. . . . Davidson is a thoughtful social critic who
leads us carefully through a complicated, interesting, and very American bit of history. "Los Angeles Times"

From the Back Cover

The National Rifle Association enjoys a reputation for invincibility unequaled by any other private lobby. For more than three decades the NRA has handily defeated almost every significant legislative attempt to regulate firearms, thanks in large part to the political clout provided by their activist members, who once numbered close to 3 million. But though its reputation remains, the influence and power of the NRA has begun to fade. Membership is down to 2.6 million and - as gun violence claims nearly 30,000 American lives each year - the group has lost several important gun-control cases in the past two years. Under Fire is the first in-depth, nonpartisan look at this important organization. Using a fast-paced reportorial style, Osha Davidson investigates the current troubles of this feisty, often fanatical, but quintessentially American, institution. Davidson examines such issues as the link between drugs and guns, the NRA's connection with gun manufacturers, its increasingly unsteady relationship with the police, and the growing schism within the organization itself. Effectively separating the NRA from the myths that so often define it, Under Fire portrays a gun lobby that is neither the Evil Empire its foes claim nor the super-patriotic defender of cherished American values that it holds itself to be. As he explores these conflicting identities, Davidson shows that charges made by each side are not merely harmless banter in an isolated political battle. In place of reasoned debate, both camps resort to insults and bumper-sticker slogans that tighten the deadlock on an issue with important ramifications for all Americans. At a time when a resolution to the crisis of unrestrictedfirearms seems to be of paramount concern, Under Fire offers true insight into one of our nation's most pressing concerns.

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805019049
• ISBN 13: 9780805019049
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1