GUNS DOWN

An outspoken and highly visible anti-gun activist presents his proposals for turning the United States into a country where guns are scarce and only responsible people are allowed to own them.

Volsky (co-author: Howard Dean's Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform, 2009), the co-founder and executive director of Guns Down America, takes aim at the National Rifle Association. The NRA, he charges, is directly focused on helping the gun industry sell more guns since more gun sales means more money for the gun lobby and more power in government. It does this, he reports, by telling Americans that they must fear being killed every day and the only way to protect themselves is to own a gun. The narrative brings together the author’s personal experiences at a firearms training institute, interviews with gun owners, stories of mass shootings, and a raft of statistics about gun ownership and gun deaths. Volsky provides background on the Second Amendment, the history of the NRA, and how other countries regulate gun ownership. All this leads up to what the author calls his New Second Amendment Compact, a 10-point plan that protects the right to bear arms but also empowers citizens and the government to regulate that right. The compact takes aim at gun manufacturers and dealers and calls for expanding regulations, ending open carry, requiring licensing and insurance, providing incentives for people to give up their guns, and funding scientific research on ending gun violence. In subsequent chapters, the author elaborates on the compact’s main points. Viewing the effectiveness of grassroots social movements, such as the fight for LGBTQ equality, Volsky is optimistic that the demographic trends in the country indicate that support for his ideas will grow. To aid those interested in joining his movement, he has included a tip-filled appendix, “How to Talk to Gun People and Win.”

A short, direct, crystal-clear, and urgent call to action certain to get a blast from the NRA.