AninformedandsophisticatedlookatthecurrentdebatebetweengunlawsandgunrightsinAmerica.Contemporaryguncontroversiesaredeeplyrootedinourhistory,yetmuchofthathistoryisunknown,ignored,ordistorted.ThisisallthemoreimportantbecauseanewgunrightsmovementispressingtoexpandthedefinitionofgunrightswellbeyondthestandardsetbytheSupremeCourtinitslandmark,controversialHellerrulingfrom2008.Theseactivists’effortshavefoundareceptiveaudienceamonganewgenerationofveryconservativefederaljudgescultivatedinpartfortheirprofessedadherencetothedoctrineofconstitutionalOriginalismandfealtytoanexpansivereadingofgunrights.InTheGunDilemma,RobertJ.Spitzerexaminesthis“gunrights2.0“movementinthelightofahostofguncontroversies:assaultweapons,ammunitionmagazines,silencers,publicgunbrandishinganddisplay,andtheemergentSecondAmendmentsanctuarymovement.Giventheimportanceofactualgunlawhistorytothisdebate,SpitzerdrawsfromthehistoricalrecordtoilluminateseveralcontemporaryandemergentguncontroversiesthatmaywellmaketheirwaytotheSupremeCourt.Revealingandilluminatingasthathistoryis,hearguesthatweshouldnotbestraitjacketedbythathistory,butratherinformedbyitasthenationstruggleswithhowtoframeitsgunpolicies.Byutilizingnovelinformationsourcestoexplorebothgunlawhistoryandcurrentdebates,TheGunDilemmaprovidesaninformedandsophisticatedchallengetotheascendantoriginalistswhoappeartobesetonenshrininginlawaradicallibertarianvisionofgunrights.
