Gun crusaders : the NRA's culture war / Scott Melzer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Melzer, Scott.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

National Rifle Association of America.

Gun control--United States.

Gun control.

Firearms ownership--United States.

Firearms ownership.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (336 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Nothing conjures up images of the American frontier and a pick-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps view of freedom and independence quite like guns. Gun Crusaders is a fascinating inside look at how the four-million member National Rifle Association and its committed members come to see each and every gun control threat as a step down the path towards gun confiscation, and eventually socialism. Enlivened by a rich analysis of NRA materials, meetings, leader speeches, and unique in-depth interviews with NRA members, Gun Crusaders focuses on how the NRA constructs and perceives threats to gun rights as one more attack in a broad liberal cultural war. Scott Melzer shows that the NRA promotes a nostalgic vision of frontier masculinity, whereby gun rights defenders are seen as patriots and freedom fighters, defending not the freedom of religion, but the religion of individual rights and freedoms.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

1 Frontier Masculinity, America’s “Gun Culture,” and the NRA

2 Why a Gun Movement?

3 Framing Threats to Gun Rights

4 Under Attack

5 Fighting the Culture Wars

6 The Politics of Commitment

7 Right and Far-Right Moral Politics

8 The Ties That Bind

Epilogue

Appendix

Notes

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-8147-5950-5

1-4416-3156-9

OCLC:

779828190