Debunking the lethal logic behind the pervasive myths that have framed the gun control debate
“When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.”
“An armed society is a polite society.”
“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
“Gun control doesn’t work because criminals don’t follow the law.”
“Gun manufacturers shouldn’t be responsible for gun crime, any more than Budweiser is responsible for drunk driving.”
“We don’t need new gun laws. We just need to enforce the ones we have.”
“Gun control is a slippery slope to complete gun bans.”
The gun lobby’s remarkable success in using these engaging slogans to frame the gun control debate has allowed it to block lifesaving gun legislation for decades. But is there any truth to this bumper-sticker logic? Dennis Henigan exposes the mythology and misguided thinking at the core of these pro-gun catchphrases, which continue to have an outsized influence on public attitudes toward guns and gun control. He counters the gun lobby’s messages by weaving together the most compelling current research and insights drawn from the grim reality of deadly gunfire in our homes and communities. Henigan charts a new path toward ending the American nightmare of gun violence.
About the Series
In the Myths Made in America series, experts debunk pervasive and harmful myths across a wide variety of topics. As misconceptions about groups of marginalized people and misunderstood concepts in the world persist, these deeply researched, frank, and user-friendly books
- identify commonly held myths by name and equip readers with facts and context to better understand why these myths were created in the first place
- serve as a resource for people to resist, whether it be in organizing efforts, advocacy and policy work, or the classroom
- arm readers with the necessary tools to be informed, think critically, and be prepared with facts and language to have effective and meaningful conversations about some of the most important societal issues of our time
The series has exposed myths about Indigenous people, immigration, LGBTQ+ people, prison reform, homelessness, unions, fat people, climate change, gun violence, and more written by critically acclaimed, award-winning, and New York Times best-selling authors.
Praise for the First Edition
“No one knows more about our epidemic of gun violence and no one can state the case for sanity better than Dennis Henigan, who eviscerates the Orwellian myths through which the NRA justifies so much death.”
—Richard North Patterson, author of Eclipse and Balance of Power
“Henigan effectively disarms the gun lobby’s arguments, fighting back with equal doses of common sense and uncommon insight....A must-read for every American who longs to bring sanity to our nation’s gun laws.”
—Arianna Huffington
PROLOGUE
A Tortured Mythology
CHAPTER ONE
Guns Don’t Kill People, People Kill People
CHAPTER TWO
When Guns Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Guns
CHAPTER THREE
Gun Control Is a Slippery Slope to Confiscation
CHAPTER FOUR
An Armed Society Is a Polite Society
CHAPTER FIVE
The Only Thing That Stops a Bad Guy with a Gun Is a Good Guy with a Gun
CHAPTER SIX
We Don’t Need New Gun Laws. We Need to Enforce the Laws We Have.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Is Budweiser Responsible for Drunk Drivers?
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Second Amendment Is the First Freedom
EPILOGUE
Beyond Mythology to Life-Saving Laws
Acknowledgments
Appendices
Notes
- “Judge Kavanaugh’s Extremist Position on the Second Amendment,” The American Prospect, essay
- Slate, original piece, 2/20/2018
- The Huffington Post, essay, 10/9/2017
- BillMoyers.com, excerpt, 9/9/2016
- BillMoyers.com, interview piece, 9/9/2016
- Metapsychology Online Reviews, review, 9/6/2016
- PJmedia.com, write-up, 8/31/2016
- Leonard Lopate Show/WYNC (NPR New York), in-studio interview, 8/1/2016
- The Daily Beast, original piece, 7/30/2016
- WhoWhatWhy (podcast), interview, 7/29/2016
- AlterNet, excerpt, 7/21/2016
- Thom Hartmann's The Big Picture/National, interview, 7/15/2016
- The American Scholar, excerpt, 7/12/2016
- Rising Up with Sonali, interview, 7/6/2016
- HuffPost Blog, original piece, 6/30/2016
- HuffPost Blog, original piece, 6/17/2016
- HuffPost Crime, original piece, 6/2/2016
- The Daily Kos, review, 5/30/2016