1. America and its guns : What is a gun? ; What is the problem with guns? ; How many Americans own how many firearms? ; Who owns the guns? ; Why do people choose to own guns, or not? ; How many guns do gun owners own? ; Is gun ownership rising or falling? ; What role do shooting sports play in American life? ; Has participation in gun sports declined? ; What are the common types of modern firearms? ; Why do gun owners usually have several guns? ; What is an assault weapon? ; What devices are available to prevent misuse?
2. The value of guns for self-protection and combating tyranny : Why is self-defense central to the debate over gun control? ; Is a gun an effective means of self-protection against an assailant? ; How often are guns used in self-defense? ; What are the risks and benefits of keeping a firearm in the home for protection? ; Do burglars avoid neighborhoods where residents keep guns in the home? ; How many people are licensed to carry a gun? ; What is it like to carry a concealed gun? ; Does society benefit if more civilians carry concealed weapons? ; Do Americans believe that guns make us safer? ; Do Americans believe that guns make our democracy stronger? ; Do guns protect against tyranny, even genocide?
3. The costs of gun violence : How many Americans are killed or injured by gunfire? ; Is gun violence rising or falling in America? ; Why are attacks with guns of any more concern than attacks with other weapons? ; Does the availability of a firearm increase the risk of suicide? ; Who is at risk for being shot? ; How has gun violence touched national political life? ; What is a mass shooting? ; Are US mass shootings increasing? ; What are the worst mass shootings in history? ; Are there common elements in mass shootings? ; Does the United States have more crime than other countries? ; How much does gun violence cost America?
4. Causes of gun violence : Who can be trusted with a gun? ; Do more guns cause more crime, or less? ; Is gun violence closely linked to other types of violence? ; What do Israel and Switzerland teach us about the importance of gun ownership as a cause of gun violence? ; Do cultural differences help account for differences in levels of gun violence? ; Do the media contribute to gun violence in America? ; What about violent TV and movies? ; What about copycat crimes? ; What about violent video games? ; What do we know about the connection between mental health and gun violence?
5. Manufacture and marketing of guns : How large is the gun industry in America? ; How is firearms production organized? ; How does the industry market its products? ; What is required to become a licensed dealer? ; How many guns does an average dealer sell in a year? A successful dealer? ; How are dealers regulated? ; What fraction of gun transactions go through licensed dealers? ; What are gun shows, and why are they problematic? ; Can guns be sold on the Internet? Ammunition? ; What is the supply chain for guns used in crime? ; How are illicit gun markets different from illicit drug markets? ; How do American dealers supply gangs in Mexico and Canada? ; How many guns are stolen each year? ; How do criminals obtain their guns?
6. How America regulates firearms : Generally speaking how does America regulate guns? ; What is the Second Amendment? ; What gun controls are unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, and what laws are presumed to be lawful? ; How many gun laws are there? ; What are the key gun control laws? ; Which states have the strongest laws, and which have the weakest? ; If I want to buy a gun, what is the process? ; Who is barred from owning a firearm? ; Who enforces gun control laws? ; What are the challenges of enforcing gun laws? ; How do US laws compare to those in other countries? ; Why aren't guns treated like other consumer products, cars, toys, even cigarettes? ; Do stand-your-ground laws reduce violence, or increase it?
7. Effectiveness of firearms policy : With 200 to 300 million guns in civilian hands, is there any point in regulating firearms? ; Did the federal assault weapons ban reduce gun violence? What about the 1934 law on machine guns? ; What do the handgun bans in Chicago and Washington, DC, teach us about the effectiveness of gun control? ; Do gun buy-backs reduce gun violence? ; What measures are effective in reducing gun trafficking? ; Do federal prosecutions of "felon in possession" cases deter gun crime? ; Was the Brady Act effective in reducing homicide and suicide? ; What is the "private sale loophole," and what would be gained from closing it? ; How effective is the federal law that disqualifies perpetrators of domestic violence? ; What is the evidence for disqualifying those with violent misdemeanors? ; Should disqualification as a result of criminal record be for life? ; What are the most promising strategies for keeping guns away from those who are dangerous to themselves or others because of mental illness? ; Do state authorities seek to disarm newly disqualified people? ; Do sentencing enhancements reduce gun use in violent crime? ; Is targeted policing against guns productive? ; How effective are hunting regulations on firearms safety?
8. Guns and gun control in history : Is there a uniquely American gun culture? ; Where does the gun culture come from? ; Was there gun control in frontier America? ; Is gun control an effort to protect the elite against minorities and immigrants? ; How have laws governing carrying and self-defense changed over time? ; Did Hitler's gun control laws cause the Holocaust?
9. Public opinion and political party positions on guns : Do Americans want stricter gun laws? ; Who supports gun control, and who supports gun rights? ; Why is the issue of guns and gun control so emotional for many people? ; Do high-profile shootings shift public opinion on gun policy? ; Where do the Democratic and Republican parties stand on gun control? ; Does support for gun control cost candidates their elections?
10. The gun rights movement : What is the gun rights movement? ; Why is the gun lobby so strong? ; Are gun rights supporters more intense than gun control supporters? ; How has the NRA shaped gun control policy? ; Does the NRA represent the firearms industry?
11. The gun control movement : What is the gun control movement? ; Why is the gun control movement relatively weak? ; What happens after a high-profile shooting? ; Do the media favor gun control?
12. What sorts of gun policies might be politically acceptable going forward?
