The New York Times-bestselling author explores the real history of guns in America and how to limit both their lethal impact and the gun lobby's power.
Taking his typically in-depth, historically informed view, Thom Hartmann, the most popular progressive radio host in America, examines the brutal role guns have played in American history, from the genocide of the Native Americans to the enforcement of slavery (Slave Patrols are in fact the Second Amendment's "well-regulated militias") and the racist post-Civil War social order. He shows how the NRA and conservative Supreme Court justices used specious logic to invent a virtually unlimited individual right to own guns, which has enabled the ever-growing number of mass shootings in the United States. But Hartmann also identifies a handful of powerful, commonsense solutions that would break the power of the gun lobby and restore the understanding of the Second Amendment that the Framers of the Constitution intended. This is the kind of brief, brilliant analysis for which Hartmann is justly renowned.

Praise for The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment

"In this precise primer on firearms practices and policies, progressive talk-show host Hartmann examines the history of routine gun usage and extreme gun violence and assesses the influence of gun ownership on contemporary political, economic, and social norms... A brief but powerful analysis of a searing national crisis." -- Booklist

"34,000 REASONS TO READ THIS BOOK: That's the number of gun-related deaths annually in America." -- Norman Lear

"When Thom Hartmann talks, I listen. What Thom Hartmann writes, I read. This book about the history of guns in America -- and most importantly, what should be the future of guns in America -- is important, mind-opening, and profoundly helpful." -- Marianne Williamson

• We started tracking this book on March 22, 2019.
• This book was $13.30 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 60 times in the past 2,583 days.
• The current price of this book is $3.99 last checked 4 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $1.99.
• The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on March 26, 2026.
• This book has been $1.99 3 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $15.09 last reached on April 10, 2025.
• This book has been $15.09 one time since we started tracking it.

• Politics & Social SciencesPolitics & GovernmentUnited StatesFederal Government
• Politics & Social SciencesSocial SciencesViolence in Society
• Politics & Social SciencesPolitics & GovernmentSpecific TopicsCorruption & Misconduct

• Publication Date: June 4, 2019
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 193 Pages
• File Size: 39 KB