Topic-Specific Resources, Groups A & B - Guns in Society Project (Spring 2019) - Schoeplein - LibGuides at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Project Group A: Pro-Gun Movement - Case Study NRA

Research Questions

How did your group get started? What is the origin story?
What is the purpose of your group?
How is your group organized (nationally/state/local)
How many members does your group currently have? (nationally/local)
What have been some successful political/public awareness campaigns/initiatives that your group has done? Be specific about the purpose of the campaign/initiative, the strategies used, and why it is considered a “success” by its members.
What are current issues your group is concerned about and working on?
How does your group try to influence politicians? Be specific in their strategies.
What are some criticisms of your group’s work?
NRA Only: What is the NRA’s views on connection between guns and gun violence?

Helpful Links:

National Rifle Association: The National Rifle Association of America is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun rights. Founded in 1871, the group has informed its members about firearm-related legislation since 1934, and it has directly lobbied for and against firearms legislation since 1975
Illinois State Rifle Association
Guns Save Life: A gun rights advocacy group, founded in roughly twenty years ago. They meet each month in six cities in Illinois: Champaign, Pontiac, Peoria, Springfield, Charleston, and Chicago. Yeah, Guns Save Life plays in Peoria, otherwise known as middle America.

Armed in America by Patrick J. Charles
ISBN: 9781633883130
Publication Date: 2018-01-23
This accessible legal history describes how the Second Amendment has been interpreted throughout most of American history and shows that today's gun-rights advocates have drastically departed from the long-held interpretation of the constitutional right to bear arms. This illuminating study traces the transformation of the right to arms from its inception in English and colonial American law to today's impassioned gun-control debate. As historian and legal scholar Patrick J. Charles shows, what the right to arms means to Americans, as well as what it legally protects, has changed drastically since its first appearance in the 1689 Declaration of Rights. Armed in America explores how and why the right to arms transformed at different points in history. The right was initially meant to serve as a parliamentary right of resistance, yet by the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791 the right had become indispensably intertwined with civic republicanism. As the United States progressed into the 19th century the right continued to change--this time away from civic republicanism and towards the individual-right understanding that is known today, albeit with the important caveat that the right could be severely restricted by the government's police power. Throughout the 20th century this understanding of the right remained the predominant view. But working behind the scenes was the beginnings of the gun-rights movement--a movement that was started in the early 20th century through the collective efforts of sporting magazine editors and was eventually commandeered by the National Rifle Association to become the gun-rights movement known today. Readers looking to sort through the shrill rhetoric surrounding the current gun debate and arrive at an informed understanding of the legal and historical development of the right to arms will find this book to be an invaluable resource.
Guns in American Society by Gregg Lee Carter
ISBN: 9780313386718
Publication Date: 2012-05-04
Thoroughly updated and greatly expanded from its original edition, this three-volume set is the go-to comprehensive resource on the legal, social, psychological, political, and public health aspects of guns in American life. * 450 alphabetically organized entries, including 100 new for this edition, covering key issues (suicide, video games and gun violence, firearm injury statistics) and events (workplace shootings, the Virginia Tech massacre) * 102 expert contributors from all academic fields involved in studying the causes and effects of gun violence * A chronology of pivotal moments and controversies in the history of firearm ownership and use in the United States * An exhaustive bibliography of print and online resources covering all aspects of the study of guns in the United States * Appendices on federal gun laws, state gun laws, and pro- and anti-gun-control organizations

Project Group B: Anti-Gun Movement - Mom’s Demand Action

Research Questions

How did your group get started? What is the origin story?
What is the purpose of your group?
How is your group organized (nationally/state/local)
How many members does your group currently have? (nationally/local)
What have been some successful political/public awareness campaigns/initiatives that your group has done? Be specific about the purpose of the campaign/initiative, the strategies used, and why it is considered a “success” by its members.
What are current issues your group is concerned about and working on?
How does your group try to influence politicians? Be specific in their strategies.
What are some criticisms of your group’s work?
MDA Only: What does your group think about the NRA?

Helpful Links

Moms Demand Action: Moms Demand Action is an arm of Everytown that functions at a more grassroots level. Their California chapter hosts local events, and you can keep up with with them on their Facebook page and there is also a local CU chapter.
Everytown: This organization was launched by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2014 and was initially funded with his own money. Everytown was conceived of as a counterbalance to the National Rifle Association (NRA). The organization advocates for more background checks for those trying to purchase guns, as well as for laws that would prevent domestic abusers from owning them. They have received some criticism for ignoring or not including people of color in their mission.
Brady Campaign: After being robbed at gunpoint, Mark Borinsky founded the National Council to Control Handguns in 1974. The organization was later renamed in 2001 in honor of Jim Brady, the White House press secretary who was left permanently disabled during an assassination attempt made on President Ronald Reagan. One of the oldest gun control organizations in the country, they’re seeking to create a safer America by cutting gun deaths in half by 2025.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence: The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is an umbrella group of 48 religious, social, and political organizations—making it one of the most comprehensive non-profit gun control advocacy organizations in existence. The coalition has been fighting for better concealed-carry laws, and it aims to prevent gun related suicides. They also work to educate the public about elected officials who support the NRA.

Guns in American Society by Gregg Lee Carter
ISBN: 9780313386718
Publication Date: 2012-05-04
Thoroughly updated and greatly expanded from its original edition, this three-volume set is the go-to comprehensive resource on the legal, social, psychological, political, and public health aspects of guns in American life. * 450 alphabetically organized entries, including 100 new for this edition, covering key issues (suicide, video games and gun violence, firearm injury statistics) and events (workplace shootings, the Virginia Tech massacre) * 102 expert contributors from all academic fields involved in studying the causes and effects of gun violence * A chronology of pivotal moments and controversies in the history of firearm ownership and use in the United States * An exhaustive bibliography of print and online resources covering all aspects of the study of guns in the United States * Appendices on federal gun laws, state gun laws, and pro- and anti-gun-control organizations
Lost in the USA by Deborah Gray White
ISBN: 9780252040900
Publication Date: 2017-03-09
Remembered as an era of peace and prosperity, turn-of-the-millennium America was also a time of mass protest. But the political demands of the marchers seemed secondary to an urgent desire for renewal and restoration felt by people from all walks of life. Drawing on thousands of personal testimonies, Deborah Gray White explores how Americans sought better ways of living in, and dealing with, a rapidly changing world. From the Million Man, Million Woman, and Million Mom Marches to the Promise Keepers and LGBT protests, White reveals a people lost in their own country. Mass gatherings offered a chance to bond with like-minded others against a relentless tide of loneliness and isolation. By participating, individuals opened a door to self-discovery that energized their quests for order, autonomy, personal meaning, and fellowship in a society that seemed hostile to such deeper human needs. Moving forward in time, White also shows what marchers found out about themselves and those gathered around them. The result is an eye-opening reconsideration of a defining time in contemporary America.

Guns in Society Project (Spring 2019) - Schoeplein: Topic-Specific Resources, Groups A & B

What you'll find on this page

Project Group A: Pro-Gun Movement - Case Study NRA

Project Group B: Anti-Gun Movement - Mom’s Demand Action