As I said in my review of John Lott's formidable study "More Guns Less Crime" (3rd edn., 2010), I was never staunchly anti-gun, but years in graduate school and the insular politics of academia had inclined me to view guns more negatively than positively--until I finally started a three-year journey looking into the facts for myself that changed my opinion completely. I am now a strong supporter of gun rights and the 2nd Amendment, and I am astonished how much bad and patently false information about guns still circulates as purported fact among well-educated people.
If John Lott's "More Guns, Less Crime" is the single most comprehensive study (by far) of the relationship between guns and crimes, then Les Adams' "The Second Amendment Primer: A Citizen's Guidebook..." is the best single-volume compilation I've found of historical and legal viewpoints about the right to bear arms as it was understood from ancient times to the present day (principally as codified in the laws of 16th to 18th century Europe, and especially in the English Common Law that so thoroughly influenced the laws/values of early America). Although not exhaustive in its coverage (that would require many volumes!), it is impressively expansive in its scope. Adams wisely focuses on illustrating the remarkable continuity of the belief that the right to bear arms is truly inviolable: it is not conferred by some authority or government; rather, it is inherent (natural) and inalienable. Much of the material is presented directly from primary sources, exactly as written in legal codes or penned by influential leaders of the time. This helps give the lie to many slippery (and false) anti-gun claims, such as that the right to bear arms was intended as a "collective" right, or as a privilege that can be withdrawn at the prerogative of the government, or was meant to be limited to those in formal military service, etc. Adams also includes a wonderful sampling of opinions from more modern commentators, from Hitler to Alan Dershowitz to Mahatma Ghandi--the latter of whom said, "Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest."
One feature that really strengthens this volume is its inclusion of an Appendix with reprints of three superb scholarly articles on the Second Amendment: William Van Alstyne's "The Second Amendment and the Personal Right to Arms" (from the Duke Law Journal, 1994), Sanford Levinson's "The Embarrassing Second Amendment" (from the Yale Law Journal, 1989), and Jeffrey Snyder's "A Nation of Cowards" (from The Public Interest, 1993). All three pieces do a phenomenal job of raising the issues that are really at stake whenever we discuss the right to bear arms, and Snyder's piece in particular combines an excellent summary of pro-gun arguments with an insightful understanding of the nature of violence and human dignity.
If you have an interest in the ongoing debate about gun rights and the Second Amendment, and you'd like a clear and responsible survey of historical opinions on the subject, this is a superb resource. Highly recommended!
無料のKindleアプリをダウンロードして、スマートフォン、タブレット、またはコンピューターで今すぐKindle本を読むことができます。Kindleデバイスは必要ありません。
ウェブ版Kindleなら、お使いのブラウザですぐにお読みいただけます。
携帯電話のカメラを使用する - 以下のコードをスキャンし、Kindleアプリをダウンロードしてください。
著者について
著者をフォローして、新作のアップデートや改善されたおすすめを入手してください。
他の国からのトップレビュー
Candid Reviewer
Excellent survey of historical and legal views on the right to bear arms
2014年2月5日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Nile B. Mccoy Hondapro
"...SHALL NOTBE INFRINGED." Explained with detail herein!
2023年7月25日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
TwoNiner
Excellent Historical Background on the Reasoning Behind the Second Amendment
2021年9月10日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Thoughts Are Things
Know your Constitutional Rights.
2021年7月17日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
James Roberts
Second Amendment Primer
2023年2月3日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
