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The Global Gun Epidemic From Saturday Night Specials to AK-47s
Wendy Cukier, Victor W. Sidel
Foreword by Sarah Brady
Book Code: C8256
ISBN: 0-275-98256-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-98256-0
Praeger Security International General Interest-Cloth
Publication: 12/30/2005
List Price: $51.95 (UK Sterling Price: £29.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • The authors apply a global public health perspective to the problem of gun-related violence. Their goal is to identify the causal chain leading to injuries, and the epidemiological approach is both the advantage and limitation of the study. It brings together cross-national data, shows how patterns of use differ among countries, compares alternative interventions, and tests some beliefs about cause and effect. In particular, the study documents the critical role of the US in producing and selling firearms that are used around the world....[t]he data provided is a useful addition to a debate that is far from finished. Recommended General readers, lower-division undergraduates through practitioners.
    —Choice     July 2006
  • This book makes the case for a strong link between the availability of guns and gun-related death and injury throughout the world....Written by two professors with public health and gun issues expertise, this book includes analyses on gun production and trade, gun culture, regulation and national and international responses to the effects of gun proliferation. In each case, the authors approach the issues from a public health point of view....[p]resenting the reader with extensive data that will be useful to all those researching the gun industry....For anyone interested in gun violence and its costs, this book represents a comprehensive and well-written overview of a very important topic.
    —Journal of Peace Research     May 2007
  • The book has a two-fold purpose, firstly serving as a valuable tool for raising awareness of issues, which are by standards of most governments and media organisations considered to be highly taboo. Secondly it is an excellent overview and reference source for researchers who often find it hard to source published material on the subject... It offers a good insight and an overall picture of the subject area and is useful for both academics and those with a general interest.
    —Internet Law Book Reviews     January 2007
  • The Global Gun Epidemic provides a valuable overview of an important topic. By bringing together information from around the world, this book allows the reader to see connections and gain insights that might otherwise be missed. Those of us who focus on preventing gun deaths and injuries within the United States sometimes forget just how much the lack of an effective national regulatory system for firearms can affect other countries....This book's public health approach reminds us that the instrument of violence matters.
    —JAMA/Journal of the American Medical Association     August 2, 2006
  • Cukier and Sidel consider gun violence and control using a public health model, and compare statistics from the US with other countries. They analyze firearm ownership, why more guns correspond to an increase in deaths, the global trade, gun running and culture, regulation and various national approaches, and movements towards gun control internationally.
    —Reference & Research Book News     May 2006
  • Endorsement From David Hemenway, PhD
    Professor of Health Policy
    Harvard School of Public Health
    Author of Private Guns Public Health:     Professors Cukier and Sidel have written the most authoritative book on the subject, a fair-minded analysis of the current "global gun epidemic." The book provides both the scientific evidence about the misuse of guns internationally, plus a recipe of what can be done to reduce the problem. The authors are not only respected academics, but passionate advocates for public health and safety. This book should be read by anyone interested in improving global public health.
  • Endorsement From Archbishop Emeritus Desmond M. Tutu
    Nobel Peace Laureate, 1984
    South Africa:     [A] much-needed comprehensive and well-documented yet remarkably readable review of guns and gun violence as a threat to human rights and public health all over the world. Violence has played an important part in South Africa's history and violence has been called the greatest threat to human rights in our country, but South Africa is determined that peace will be its future. South Africa has therefore recognized the importance of strengthened gun control laws, intended not only to reduce the misuse of guns in our country but also, because of the impact South African guns have in the region, to reduce their misuse in southern Africa. Since strong anti-gun laws have an important international role in shaping both use and values, it is vital that all countries do their share in combating this global epidemic.
  • Endorsement From Michael Klare
    Professor of Peace and World Security Studies
    Hampshire College:     At last we have a thorough and readable book on the global epidemic of gun violence that examines this deadly scourge in all of its critical dimensions! Wendy Cukier and Victor Sidel draw on studies from around the world to demonstrate how uncontrolled gun trafficking is endangering the lives and safety of people everywhere. They also show in practical terms how we protect ourselves from this plague through concerted international action. An important book at a critical moment in human affairs.
  • Endorsement From Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY): All too often, the debate over tougher gun laws ignores many important by-products of gun violence. Wendy Cukier and Victor Sidel have done a great service in bringing attention to global challenges brought about by increased gun violence. Gun violence has drained many public health systems, endangers human rights, and threatens many nations' homeland and national security. The Global Gun Epidemic is a must read for anyone on either side of the gun violence debate.
Description: Just as guns know no borders, gun violence has become a global epidemic, killing hundreds of thousands of people each year and injuring many more. The toll is staggering. Experts estimate that there are 35,000 annual gun-related deaths in Brazil, 10,000 in South Africa, 20,000 in Colombia, and 30,000 in the United States. While guns kill or maim great numbers of people in war zones, two thirds of small arms are in the possession of civilians. Although guns do not in and of themselves "cause" violence, they increase its lethality and fuel "cultures of violence." This book documents the global gun trade, its threat to public health, and efforts to remedy the situation. Virtually every illegal gun begins as a legal gun. With the globalization of trade in licit products has come the globalization of the illegal trade in guns. For example, weapons originating in the United States fuel violence in Canada, Latin America, and as far away as Japan. And unregulated ownership of guns fuels crime. Because weapons tend to flow from unregulated areas to regulated areas, international cooperation is critical, but global efforts have been hampered by major arms producers and gun lobbies such as the National Rifle Association. Since 1998 there has been an emerging global movement to control the illicit trade and misuse in guns, and many countries have moved to strengthen their gun laws in an effort to combat this global epidemic.
LC Card Number: 2005019185
LCC Class: HV7435
Dewey Class: 363
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