Criminal Law

Thomas Morawetz is Professor of Law at University of Connecticut.

"This book is well written, and raises interesting issues about the transformation of interest groups in a period of polarized politics."-Clyde Wilcox, "Political Science Quarterly" The author aruges a very credible thesis: that the National Rifle Association (NRA) is more than a single-interest group defending the right to own and bear arms. The NRA should also be understood as a social movement organization dedicated broadly to preserving traditional, conservative values.-CHOICE, "Melzer brilliantly integrates deep personal observation with data and theory to construct a three-dimensional portrait of the modern gun rights movement. In a wonderfully written, engaging, and scrupulously fair narrative, Melzer's book makes a major contribution to our understanding of this tumultuous social movement and also happens to be a really good read." -Robert J. Spitzer, author of "The Politics of Gun Control" "Melzer takes us inside the NRA to reveal that more than gun control -- much more -- is at stake: a way of life and a definition of manhood that members feel is disintegrating in their hands. . . . [This is] a book that is both balanced and brave, critical and yet compassionate to men who have so lost their way that their guns offer their last tenuous hold on their identity." -Michael Kimmel, author of "Guyland"