Review of Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA by Tim Mak

Before I had a chance to read it myself, I had been hearing good things from reform minded NRA members about Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA by NPR investigative reporter Tim Mak.

I’ve now had a chance to read the book in full. Despite some small quibbles I have with Mak’s language, analysis, and storytelling, this is an interesting and important book for those wanting to understand how the NRA got to be in the position it is in right now.

If you don’t have any idea what I mean by “the position it is in right now,” then you DEFINITELY need to read this book.

I “live Tweeted” my reading, chapter-by-chapter, so you can see my synopses and thoughts unrolled below.

Reading “Misfire” at the Barber Shop. Selfie by David Yamane

Gun Culture 2.0 Book (Provisional) Table of Contents

As mentioned the other day, I have finally gotten the pitch for my book on Gun Culture 2.0 into the hands of some literary agents. Now the waiting game begins.

In the mean time, below you will find the provisional table of contents for the book to whet your appetite.

Preface. On Being a Truth Advocate

Introduction. How a Liberal Professor Became an Armed American

1. Guns are Normal, Normal People Use Guns

2. Building an Arsenal

3. Living with AR-15s

4. Top Shot and the Human-Weapon Relationship

5. Swept Up in the Concealed Carry Revolution

6. Pascal’s Wager and Firearms

7. Serious Mistakes and Negative Outcomes

8. Training in Applied Violence

9. The Changing Face of Gun Owners in America

Conclusion. What the Professor Learned

Proposal for Gun Culture 2.0 Book Going Out This Week

I stepped out of the social media fray for a few days this past weekend to commemorate the moment when my wife Sandy and I committed our lives to each other at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC in 2013.

But I didn’t stop working on my book, provisionally titled Gun Culture 2.0: Inside America’s Evolving Culture of Firearms. On the long drive from Winston-Salem to Washington and back, and during quiet moments at our hotel, I worked on my author query letter, book proposal, and the first four chapters of the book.

This week I will be sending a query letter to 6-8 agents along with the proposal and sample chapters to try to get literary representation for the project. The literary agent will then try to sell the book to a publisher.

Finalizing a book chapter at a hotel in Washington, DC, November 2021. Photo by Sandra Stroud Yamane

ANNOUNCING UPDATED EDITION of Concealed Carry Revolution: Liberalizing the Right to Bear Arms in America

I am very happy to announce that the Updated Edition of my small (92 page) book on the history and current status of concealed carry laws in the United States is now fully available online via Amazon.

This includes the paperback with free 2-day Prime shipping for $12.95 and the Kindle edition for $0.00 with a Kindle Unlimited subscription or $6.99 otherwise.

If you buy a copy of the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon (or Goodreads or Google books) because that helps others outside my social networks find the book.

If you bought a copy of the first edition, there’s nothing to prevent you from leaving a review of the Updated Edition.

Concealed Carry Revolution Book Update

It’s been a couple of weeks since I announced the availability of my small book on the history and current status of concealed carry in the United States. I picked a terrible time to launch the book because I took off for a 4,000 mile drive from NC to California immediately after.

It has been gratifying to see some pictures of the book on social media, including one alongside books by Massad Ayoob and Patrick McNamara, two gun culture celebs well beyond me.

As a reminder, you can buy a print copy of the book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any other bookseller for $11.95. A Kindle edition of the book for $8.95 is, according to the publisher, forthcoming any time now.

I sold out of the original batch of 50 signed copies for Buy Me A Coffee annual supporters ($60), but have reordered more and will be signing/shipping those when I get home in mid-June. You can also get a “free” electronic copy of the book as a Buy Me A Coffee monthly supporter ($5).

Concealed Carry Revolution Book Available Now

Despite the profound significance of the issue, no comprehensive but concise history of concealed carry laws in the United States yet exists. Concealed Carry Revolution seeks to fill this gap. It is available right now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or by special order through your favorite local bookstore. An electronic version should also be available soon.

An even better way to get a copy of the book is to make a small donation in support of my work through my “Buy Me a Coffee” page (like Patreon). Those who sign up as annual members will receive a free signed copy of the book and monthly supporters will receive a free electronic copy as a “Thank You!”

This small book (100 pages including extensive notes) was originally written as a chapter in my larger book on Gun Culture 2.0 on which I continue to work. As the chapter grew longer and the focus of that work shifted, I found myself with a great deal of material which had no obvious outlet.

If you happen to get a copy of the book, I would appreciate your review (honest, if necessary) on Amazon.com, Goodreads, or your favorite book review site.

As always, I am grateful for your interest in and support of my work in telling the story of American gun culture.

If you want to support my work, please buy me a drink

2021: A Sneak Peek of My Year Ahead

I am trying to break the grip the current moment has on my attention, and thought a good way to do that would be to have a brief look at my year ahead.

For the spring semester, I am on a research leave, meaning I am excused from my normal teaching and service obligations as a faculty member at Wake Forest University. My main goal during this leave is to make serious progress on my (long-awaited?) book on American gun culture.

I am going to try to wrap up as many ongoing projects as possible in January so that beginning in February the bulk of my attention and energy will be on the book. Among these ongoing projects is a short book on the history of concealed carry laws and their implementation. The book will be available as a print and eBook through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other online channels, and by special order through local book stores.

I will also be giving free electronic copies to everyone who supports me as a member on Buy Me a Coffee ($5/month or $60/year).

QOTD: A Tedious and Repetitive Dialogue of the Deaf

So began four years of the voluminous debate over the gun and its place in American life, fully documented in 4,000 pages of congressional hearings and hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles. It was to be a tedious and repetitive dialogue of the deaf.

— On gun control legislation following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, from Lee Kennett and Jules LaVerne Anderson, The Gun in America (1975), p. 232, emphasis added

QOTD: Rely on the Protection of the Crown

Louis XIV in 1864 by Hyacinthe Rigaud, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The disarming of the militia was part of the monarchy’s long effort to disarm its subjects, especially its potentially troublesome ones. . . . In the interest of public order, minority groups and privileged elements were urged to rely on the protection of the crown, not upon their own devices. In the case of the Huguenots, this reliance was to be ill placed; in 1685 Louis XIV withdrew the state’s protection and began a policy of persecution.

— Lee Kennett and Jules LaVerne Anderson, The Gun in America (1975), p. 185, emphasis added

QOTD: The Quarrel over Statistics Debuts

Coroner’s Clerk Lebrun, who played a major role in the drafting of the Sullivan Law, pointed out that the number of suicides by firearms had dropped 40% over the previous year. He credited the new law with this decline. Lebrun did not comment on the number of homicides by firearms, but opponents of the Sullivan Law were quick to do so. In the last pre-Sullivan law year, 1910, there had been 108 such homicides; in 1912 there were 113. The quarrel over statistics made its debut as part of the firearms controversy.

— Lee Kennett and Jules LaVerne Anderson, The Gun in America (1975), p. 185, emphasis added