A valuable resource for those interested in the roots and expression of the US's polarized gun politics. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. * D. Yamane, CHOICE *
Examines the differences in political behavior and attitudes between gun owners and those who do not own a gun, investigating the "gun gap" in terms of voter choice and political participation, assessments of personal safety, and support for various gun control policies as well as the death penalty and other punitive measures. * Journal of Economic Literature (Volume 59, no. 1) *
Mark Joslyn's new and important book comes at just the right time, as it coincides with the rise of an increasingly politicized and partisan gun rights movement. Joslyn's analysis enhances our understanding of the political consequences of the gun rights movement by demonstrating that gun fealty is as significant in explaining political behavior as race, sex, or partisanship. More than that, he elucidates critical political distinctions within the gun community. This scrupulous and careful study significantly advances our understanding of the gun rights movement as a political phenomenon." -Robert J. Spitzer, Distinguished Service Professor, Political Science, SUNY Cortland, and author of Guns across America
In The Gun Gap, Mark Joslyn does us all a great service by taking us on a thoughtful, data-informed journey through the distinctive and large gun culture in the United States, and how political differences are structured on membership (or not) in that culture. He shows that gun ownership is a culture, and that the notion of weapons ownership is an explicit part of our constitutional architecture, one which looms as an explicit force in the same manner as race in shaping the Republic. Guns literally divide us, and are as powerful a shortcut as religious identity in guessing our politics. In the process, he demonstrates too the frustrating path dependency that surrounds gun debates and the response to shootings, and instead asks us to 'begin anew' in how we engage guns in our polity and our politics. It's a powerful, sobering read which speaks to both an issue that divides us, and how to transcend that division." -Keith Gaddie, The University of Oklahoma
With the gun issue dividing America as never before, Joslyn argues persuasively that firearm owners form a politically important constituency * but one that is far from monolithic. Serious gun collectors differ from casual owners in all sorts of beliefs and behaviors, and these differences matter for politics. This survey-rich book provides a nice complement to ethnographic work on American gun culture(s)." -Kristin A. Goss, Kevin D. Gorter Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University *
This expansive and thoroughly-researched book makes clear that gun ownership is a crucial * but previously underappreciateddriver of Americans' political attitudes and actions. Pulling together an impressive amount of data from a wide-range of sources, Joslyn's eye-opening work compellingly demonstrates that understanding contemporary American politics requires that we pay attention to the country's growing 'gun gap.' That Joslyn does this in a very even-handed and accessible fashion makes the book even more impressive." -Matthew J. Lacombe, Barnard College, Columbia University *
