Eight Publications Every Advocate Needs

1. American Rifleman magazine, National Rifle Association of America.

   This is the monthly magazine of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). It is an essential source for tracking the NRA's legislative and outreach activities on the federal, state, and local levels.

   A subscription to American Rifleman is included with NRA membership (annual dues $35.00). For an extra $15.00 members can order American Guardian magazine which places a greater focus on "self-protection" issues and efforts to recruit women and youth. Call the National Rifle Association at 1-800-672-3888 or write to the NRA at 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030.

   
   

2. Cease Fire: A Comprehensive Strategy to Reduce Firearms Violence, Josh Sugarmann and Kristen Rand, Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC, 1997, 74 pages.

   Originally published in 1994 and revised in 1997, Cease Fire offers an analysis of firearms violence as a public health issue, examines the firearms industry as the manufacturer of an unregulated consumer product, and details a legislative agenda to hold the gun industry to the same health and safety standards to which all other manufacturers of consumer products must comply. Appendices include a fact sheet on the Second Amendment; a chart of key gun control votes by Members of Congress; an analysis of the role of the civil justice system; and a guide to organizations on both sides of the debate.

   This publication is $6.50, including shipping and handling. Call the Violence Policy Center at (202) 822-8200 or write to the VPC at 1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. A copy of the VPC publications list will be included upon request. Follow this link to view the study's executive summary.

   
   

3. Crime in the United States: Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice.

   Released each year by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Crime in the United States (UCR) compiles data on crimes as reported by city, county, and state law enforcement agencies. Tables on homicide are presented by sex, age, race, victim/offender relationship, circumstance, and weapon type. Data on violent crime is also broken out by city, county, and state.

   New editions usually come out in October. This publication is $37.00 for the paperback version and $17.00 for the CD-ROM version, including shipping and handling, and can be ordered with a credit card. Call the U.S. Government Printing Office bookstore at (202) 512-1800 or write to the Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328. The UCR is often available in libraries. (Each state publishes its own uniform crime report; a list of issuing agencies is in an appendix to the FBI UCR.) The UCR is also available on the FBI website at www.fbi.gov.

   
   

4. Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

   The Sourcebook contains statistical information about crime and criminal justice in the United States from a wide variety of sources. Everything from nationwide public opinion polls on gun control policies to statistics on firearms victimization is included. Be sure to look up the word GUNS in the index at the back of the book�it's very useful.

   This publication is $8.25 with postage and handling, and must be prepaid. Call the National Criminal Justice Reference Services (NCJRS) at 1-800-732-3277. Ask to be placed on the NCJRS mailing list for information about all their publications. Information can be downloaded from the NCJRS at www.albany.edu/sourcebook.

   
   

5. Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide and Firearms State Laws and Published Ordinances, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Department of the Treasury.

   Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide contains the full text of all federal gun laws and regulations including The National Firearms Act, The Gun Control Act of 1968, and the 1994 assault weapons ban. There is also a useful question and answer section in the back of the publication.

   Firearms State Laws and Published Ordinances contains the full text of almost all state gun laws and ordinances. This publication also includes a "Ready Reference Table" of key state laws, a listing of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Regulatory Enforcement Area Offices, and a listing of State Attorneys General. While this publication is useful, it is not always current. For more up-to-date information, please use the web sites of the individual state legislatures.

   These publications are free. Call the ATF Distribution Center at (703) 455-7801 or write to the ATF Distribution Center, P.O. Box 5950, Springfield, VA 22150-5950.

   
   

6. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

   Frequently cited in this guide, the MMWR is a key resource that is readily available through libraries. This publication is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, and is published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. Subscriptions are available from the Massachusetts Medical Society, P.O. Box 549120, Waltham, MA 02454-9120 for $79.00 a year, or call 1-800-843-6356. To purchase back copies, send issue number and prepayment to the Customer Service Department, P.O. Box 549120, Waltham, MA 02454-9120. Recent articles and other data are accessible at the CDC web site located at www.cdc.gov/mmwr.

   
   

7. Making a Killing: The Business of Guns in America, Tom Diaz, The New Press, New York, 1999, 256 pages.

   This book moves beyond the familiar gun control debate and offers the first examination ever of the $1.4 billion gun industry. It reveals how the gun industry responded to stagnation in sales by producing increasingly deadly guns. It also shows how the industry collaborates with the gun press, capitalizes on sales to law enforcement, and targets women, youth, and minorities.

   This book is available in bookstores, or may be ordered online from www.amazon.com. It can also be obtained for $14.00, including shipping and handling, by calling the Violence Policy Center at (202) 822-8200 or writing to the VPC at 1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036.

   
   

8. Guns in America: Results of a Comprehensive National Survey on Firearm Ownership and Use, Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, Police Foundation, 1996.

   This essential study presents the results of a 1994 telephone survey on ownership and use of firearms by American adults. The survey provides the most complete data available on the private stock of firearms in the United States.

   This publication is $20.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Police Foundation at (202) 833-1460 or write to Police Foundation, 1201 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036.