One Nation Under Guns—An Essay on an American Epidemic

The United States holds the dubious distinction of experiencing more civilian gun deaths than any industrialized nation on earth—nearly 30,000 per year. While a majority of Americans favor far more restrictive gun laws than currently exist, efforts to pass such laws are consistently thwarted by the powerful gun lobby, led by the National Rifle Association. Now a new dimension of the gun epidemic has surfaced to cause even greater dangers to our society: deadly weapons in the hands of foreign terrorists. Terrorists need only turn to the flourishing illicit gun trade to amass weapons of destruction, as many already have. This eye-opening essay examines the scope of gun violence in this country—its causes, its dangers, and its possible solutions. Part of the Speaker's Corner Books series designed to stimulate discussion on issues that shape our society, One Nation Under Guns takes a rational and reasoned approach to an emotionally charged issue.

Arnold Grossman is a commercial and documentary producer. He has worked as a journalist and advertising executive and became involved in politics as a media consultant to candidates such as Senators Gary Hart, Tim Wirth, and Frank Church, Governors Richard Lamm and Bruce Babbit, Representatives Mo Udall, Leon Panetta, and Martha Keyes, and Mayors Federico Pena and Wellington Webb. In 2000, following the Columbine massacre, Grossman cofounded and served as copresident of SAFE Colorado, a bipartisan advocacy group dedicated to reasonable gun controls designed to curb the gun-violence epidemic. He lives in Denver, Colorado.