Dennis A. Henigan – författare

Debunking the lethal logic behind the pervasive myths that have framed the gun control debateThe gun lobby’s remarkable success in using engaging slogans to frame the gun control debate has allowed it to block lifesaving gun legislation for decades. But is there any truth to this bumper-sticker logic? Dennis Henigan exposes the mythology and misguided thinking at the core of these pro-gun catchphrases, which continue to have an outsized influence on public attitudes toward guns and gun control. He counters the gun lobby’s messages by weaving together the most compelling current research and insights drawn from the grim reality of deadly gunfire in our homes and communities. Henigan charts a new path toward ending the American nightmare of gun violence.Myths Include:“When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.”“An armed society is a polite society.”“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”“Gun control doesn’t work because criminals don’t follow the law.”“Gun manufacturers shouldn’t be responsible for gun crime, any more than Budweiser is responsible for drunk driving.”“We don’t need new gun laws. We just need to enforce the ones we have.”“Gun control is a slippery slope to complete gun bans.”

"Guns don't kill people; people kill people.""When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.""An armed society is a polite society."Who hasn't heard these engaging assertions, time and time again? Burned into the national consciousness by years of targeted, disciplined messaging by the National Rifle Association and others, they are just a few of the bumper-sticker slogans that have defined the gun control debate in America. Long ridiculed by gun control advocates, they are the first words that come to mind for most Americans when the gun issue is discussed.This is the first book both to acknowledge the profound and deadly impact of the gun lobby's bumper-sticker logic on the gun control debate and to systematically expose the misguided thinking at the core of the pro-gun slogans. Indeed, the author contends that the gun lobby's remarkable success in blocking passage of lifesaving gun laws is the result, in large part, of its relentless and effective use of these simple and resonant messages. Their persuasive power has been a largely ignored influence on the current politics of gun control, in which the gun lobby wields unprecedented power in the Republican Party, while many Democratic Party leaders see the policy benefits of stronger gun laws as not worth the political risk of standing up to the NRA. The book contends that the current political stalemate over guns will never be broken until the pro-gun slogans are exposed as the cleverly disguised fallacies that they are.