Explores how the gun industry has changed and how the nature of gun violence has changed in step with industry trends, and argues that a renewed political effort is necessary.

Explores how the gun industry has changed and how the nature of gun violence has changed in step with industry trends, and argues that a renewed political effort is necessary. Newtown, Connecticut. Aurora, Colorado. Both have entered our collective memory as sites of unimaginable heartbreak and mass slaughter perpetrated by lone gunmen. Meanwhile, cities such as Chicago and Washington, D.C., are dealing with the painful, everyday reality of record rates of gun-related deaths. By any account, gun violence in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. A widely respected activist and policy analyst, as well as a former gun enthusiast and an ex-member of the National Rifle Association, the author presents a chilling, up-to-date survey of the changed landscape of gun manufacturing and marketing, including the disturbing rise in military-grade gun models. But the author also argues that the once formidable gun lobby has become a "paper tiger," marshaling a range of evidence and case studies to make the case that now is the time for a renewed political effort to attack gun violence at its source, the guns themselves. In the aftermath of Newtown, a challenging national conversation lies ahead. This book is an indispensable guide to this debate, and essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how we can finally rid America's streets, schools, and homes of gun violence and prevent future Newtowns. -- From book jacket.