Acknowledgments |
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xi | |
1 America and Its Guns |
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1 | (15) |
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1 | (1) |
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What is the problem with guns? |
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1 | (1) |
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How many Americans own how many firearms? |
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2 | (2) |
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4 | (1) |
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Why do people choose to own gunsor not? |
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5 | (1) |
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How many guns do gun owners own? |
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6 | (1) |
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Is gun ownership rising or falling? |
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7 | (1) |
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What role do shooting sports play in American life? |
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8 | (1) |
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Has participation in gun sports declined? |
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9 | (1) |
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What are the common types of modern firearms? |
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10 | (2) |
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Why do gun owners usually have several guns? |
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12 | (1) |
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What is an assault weapon? |
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13 | (1) |
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What devices are available to prevent misuse? |
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14 | (2) |
2 The Value of Guns for Self-Protection and Combating Tyranny |
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16 | (18) |
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Why is self-defense central to the debate over gun control? |
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16 | (1) |
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Is a gun an effective means of self-protection against an assailant? |
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17 | (1) |
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How often are guns used in self-defense? |
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18 | (2) |
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What are the risks and benefits of keeping a firearm in the home for protection? |
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20 | (1) |
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Do burglars avoid neighborhoods where residents keep guns in the home? |
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21 | (1) |
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How many people are licensed to carry a gun? |
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22 | (1) |
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What is it like to carry a concealed gun? |
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22 | (3) |
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Does society benefit if more civilians carry concealed weapons? |
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25 | (2) |
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Do Americans believe that guns make us safer? |
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27 | (2) |
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Do Americans believe that guns make our democracy stronger? |
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29 | (2) |
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Do guns protect against tyranny, even genocide? |
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31 | (3) |
3 The Costs of Gun Violence |
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34 | (21) |
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How many Americans are killed or injured by gunfire? |
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34 | (1) |
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Is gun violence rising or falling in America? |
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35 | (2) |
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Why are attacks with guns of any more concern than attacks with other weapons? |
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37 | (5) |
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Does the availability of a firearm increase the risk of suicide? |
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42 | (1) |
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Who is at risk for being shot? |
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43 | (1) |
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How has gun violence touched national political life? |
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44 | (1) |
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45 | (1) |
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Are US mass shootings increasing? |
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46 | (1) |
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What are the worst mass shootings in history? |
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47 | (3) |
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Are there common elements in mass shootings? |
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50 | (1) |
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Does the United States have more crime than other countries? |
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51 | (1) |
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How much does gun violence cost America? |
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52 | (3) |
4 Causes of Gun Violence |
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55 | (18) |
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Who can be trusted with a gun? |
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55 | (2) |
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Do more guns cause more crimeor less? |
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57 | (2) |
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Is gun violence closely linked to other types of violence? |
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59 | (1) |
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What do Israel and Switzerland teach us about the importance of gun ownership as a cause of gun violence? |
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60 | (2) |
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Do cultural differences help account for differences in levels of gun violence? |
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62 | (4) |
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Do the media contribute to gun violence in America? |
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66 | (1) |
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What about violent TV and movies? |
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67 | (2) |
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What about copycat crimes? |
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69 | (1) |
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What about violent video games? |
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70 | (1) |
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What do we know about the connection between mental health and gun violence? |
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71 | (2) |
5 Manufacture and Marketing of Guns |
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73 | (16) |
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How large is the gun industry in America? |
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73 | (1) |
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How is firearms production organized? |
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74 | (2) |
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How does the industry market its products? |
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76 | (2) |
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What is required to become a licensed dealer? |
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78 | (1) |
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How many guns does an average dealer sell in a year? A successful dealer? |
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79 | (1) |
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How are dealers regulated? |
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79 | (1) |
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What fraction of gun transactions go through licensed dealers? |
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80 | (1) |
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What are gun shows, and why are they problematic? |
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81 | (1) |
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Can guns be sold on the Internet? Ammunition? |
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81 | (1) |
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What is the supply chain for guns used in crime? |
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82 | (3) |
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How are illicit gun markets different from illicit drug markets? |
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85 | (1) |
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How do American dealers supply gangs in Mexico and Canada? |
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85 | (1) |
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How many guns are stolen each year? |
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86 | (1) |
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How do criminals obtain their guns? |
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87 | (2) |
6 How America Regulates Firearms |
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89 | (43) |
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Generally speaking how does America regulate guns? |
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89 | (2) |
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What is the Second Amendment? |
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91 | (4) |
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What gun controls are unconstitutional under the Second Amendmentand what laws are presumed to be lawful? |
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95 | (2) |
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How many gun laws are there? |
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97 | (1) |
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What are the key gun control laws? |
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98 | (11) |
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Which states have the strongest laws, and which have the weakest? |
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109 | (1) |
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If I want to buy a gun, what is the process? |
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110 | (1) |
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Who is barred from owning a firearm? |
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111 | (3) |
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Who enforces gun control laws? |
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114 | (1) |
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What are the challenges of enforcing gun laws? |
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115 | (3) |
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How do US laws compare to those in other countries? |
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118 | (1) |
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Why aren't guns treated like other consumer productscars, toys, even cigarettes? |
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118 | (10) |
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Do stand-your-ground laws reduce violenceor increase it? |
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128 | (4) |
7 Effectiveness of Firearms Policy |
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132 | (23) |
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With 200 to 300 million guns in civilian hands, is there any point in regulating firearms? |
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132 | (3) |
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Did the federal assault weapons ban reduce gun violence? What about the 1934 law on machine guns? |
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135 | (1) |
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What do the handgun bans in Chicago and Washington, DC, teach us about the effectiveness of gun control? |
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136 | (2) |
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Do gun buy-backs reduce gun violence? |
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138 | (1) |
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What measures are effective in reducing gun trafficking? |
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139 | (2) |
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Do federal prosecutions of "felon in possession" cases deter gun crime? |
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141 | (1) |
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Was the Brady Act effective in reducing homicide and suicide? |
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142 | (1) |
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What is the "private sale loophole," and what would be gained from closing it? |
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143 | (2) |
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How effective is the federal law that disqualifies perpetrators of domestic violence? |
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145 | (1) |
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What is the evidence for disqualifying those with violent misdemeanors? |
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146 | (2) |
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Should disqualification as a result of criminal record be for life? |
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148 | (1) |
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What are the most promising strategies for keeping guns away from those who are dangerous to themselves or others because of mental illness? |
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149 | (1) |
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Do state authorities seek to disarm newly disqualified people? |
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150 | (1) |
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Do sentencing enhancements reduce gun use in violent crime? |
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151 | (1) |
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Is targeted policing against guns productive? |
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151 | (2) |
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How effective are hunting regulations on firearms safety? |
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153 | (2) |
8 Guns and Gun Control in History |
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155 | (21) |
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Is there a uniquely American gun culture? |
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155 | (4) |
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Where does the gun culture come from? |
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159 | (4) |
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Was there gun control in frontier America? |
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163 | (2) |
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Is gun control an effort to protect the elite against minorities and immigrants? |
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165 | (4) |
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How have laws governing carrying and self-defense changed over time? |
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169 | (2) |
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Did Hitler's gun control laws cause the holocaust? |
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171 | (5) |
9 Public Opinion and Political Party Positions on Guns |
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176 | (13) |
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Do Americans want stricter gun laws? |
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176 | (4) |
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Who supports gun control, and who supports gun rights? |
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180 | (2) |
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Why is the issue of guns and gun control so emotional for many people? |
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182 | (1) |
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Do high-profile shootings shift public opinion on gun policy? |
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182 | (1) |
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Where do the Democratic and Republican parties stand on gun control? |
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183 | (1) |
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Does support for gun control cost candidates their elections? |
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184 | (5) |
10 The Gun Rights Movement |
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189 | (14) |
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What is the gun rights movement? |
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189 | (3) |
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Why is the gun lobby so strong? |
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192 | (3) |
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Are gun rights supporters more intense than gun control supporters? |
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195 | (3) |
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How has the NRA shaped gun control policy? |
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198 | (2) |
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Does the NRA represent the firearms industry? |
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200 | (3) |
11 The Gun Control Movement |
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203 | (11) |
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What is the gun control movement? |
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203 | (3) |
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Why is the gun control movement relatively weak? |
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206 | (3) |
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What happens after a high-profile shooting? |
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209 | (3) |
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Do the media favor gun control? |
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212 | (2) |
12 What Sorts of Gun Policies Might Be Politically Acceptable Going Forward? |
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214 | (7) |
Notes |
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221 | (6) |
References |
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227 | (38) |
Index |
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265 | |