Possibly the most emotionally charged debate taking place in the United States today centers on the Second Amendment of the Constitution and the rights of citizens to bear arms. In the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre in Connecticut, the gun rights movement headed by the National Rifle Association appears more intractable than ever in its fight against gun control laws. The core argument of Second Amendment advocates is that the proliferation of firearms is essential to maintaining freedom in America, providing private citizens with a defense against possible government tyranny, and safeguarding all our other rights. But is this argument valid? Do guns indeed make us free? Firmin DeBrabrander examines claims offered in favor of unchecked gun ownership in this insightful and eye-opening analysis, the first philosophical examination of every aspect of a contentious, uniquely American debate. By exposing the contradictions and misinterpretations prevalent in the case presented by gun rights supporters, this provocative volume concludes that an armed society is not a free society but one that ultimately discourages and, in fact, actively hinders democratic participation.
About the Author
Firmin DeBrabander, an associate professor of philosophy at Maryland Institute College of Art, has written social and political commentary for numerous publications, including the Baltimore Sun, Counterpunch, and the New York Times. He lives in Baltimore, MD.
Reviews
"DeBrabander's arguments are novel, powerful, and compelling. He turns the arguments of gun advocates against them, showing that a society in which a high proportion of citizens are armed must become a society in which individual freedoms are eroded and democratic procedures are continuously threatened" – Jeff McMahan, author of "The Ethics of Killing, and White's Chair of Moral Philosophy', University of Oxford
"Firmin DeBrabander does us all a substantial service by reminding us that the gun rights movement, though cloaked in self-righteousness, is a threat to democracy rather than its protector" – Stephen Teret, Founding Director, The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research
"A provocative philosophical argument that an armed populace is a Machiavellian idea, not the guarantee of freedom the NRA insists it is-because only agreement on the rule of law ensures that" – Craig R. Whitney, author of "Living with Guns: A Liberal's Case for the Second Amendment"
"This book makes a very simple point very well: guns make us less free. Therefore, the less guns, the more freedom. DeBrabander gives an eminently sane and rational argument against the armed society that the United States has become and allows us to imagine how we might escape it and recover the true life of democracy" – Simon Critchley, The New School for Social Research
"It is a novel concept to examine the debate over gun control from a philosophical perspective... I believe the book is on to something" – John Donohue, Stanford University
