A second edition of the landmark publication, Guns in American Society, is out this month thanks in part to faculty members at UCF.
James Beckman, chair of UCF’s Department of Legal Studies, is one of five Editorial Board members who worked with Editor Gregg Lee Carter to produce the publication. Two other UCF faculty members contributed as well.
The second edition, like the first edition published in 2002, presents a broad spectrum of opinions and research findings on guns in the United States. National experts in criminology, history, law, medicine, politics and social science contribute this information as entries in a three-volume encyclopedia.
The latest edition includes 450 entries on topics such as gun violence, gun control, gun rights, regulations and legislation, court decisions, pro- and anti-gun organizations, gun ownership, hunters and collectors, and public opinion toward guns. New topics include the Virginia Tech massacre and video games and gun violence.
Beckman is an attorney and former legal adviser with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. As an Editorial Board member, he recommended new authors and reviewed entry submissions. He also wrote 18 entries covering topics such as antiterrorism legislation and Supreme Court rulings.
Associate Professor Robert Wood, also an attorney and member of the Department of Legal Studies, wrote another four entries, including one on the Tucson, Arizona, massacre that severely injured former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. In addition, James Wright, a provost’s distinguished research professor of sociology at UCF, wrote an essay on felons and gun control.
The American Library Association named the first edition of Guns in American Society the Booklist Editors’ Best Reference Book Choice for 2003.
(Photo by Abi Bell)