Whose Right Is It? The Second Amendment and the Fight Over Guns

by Hana Bajramovic

Overview

Discover the truth about the Second Amendment, the NRA, and the United States’ centuries-long fight over guns in this first-of-its-kind book for middle grade readers.

"A compelling, clear analysis of one of our country’s oldest dilemmas: how to balance gun rights with public safety. It tells the full and true story of the Second Amendment, and points to a way to bring sanity to our gun laws. A remarkable primer for all ages." —Michael Waldman, author of The Second Amendment: A Biography

For the majority of the United States’ history, the right to own a gun belonged to a “well regulated militia.” That changed in 2008 with the historic District of Columbia v. Heller case, which ruled that the Second Amendment protected an individual’s right. In the years since, the debate over gun legislation has reached a crescendo. And the issue grows ever relevant to children across America, with an estimated three million exposed to shootings every year. From metal detectors to see-through backpacks to shooting drills, kids face daily reminders of the threat of guns.

Hana Bajramovic's Whose Right Is It? The Second Amendment and the Fight Over Guns reveals how a once obscure amendment became the focus of daily heated debate. Filled with historical photos and informative graphics, the book will show young readers how gun legislation has always been a part of American history and how money, power, and systemic racism have long dictated our ability to own guns.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Hana Bajramovic provides readers with a compelling overview on the history of guns in the United States and the changing, conflicting interpretations of the Second Amendment certain to stimulate conversation and thinking on the part of future generations." —Award-winning author Doreen Rappaport

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250224255
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	09/22/2020
Series:	Whose Right Is It?
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1230L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Hana Bajramovic has an English degree from Harvard University and JD from Yale Law School. She has worked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and at the New York law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. She now works to defend reproductive rights and access to reproductive healthcare. Whose Right Is It? The Second Amendment and the Fight Over Guns is her first book. She lives in Brooklyn.

hanabajramovic.com

Editorial Reviews

"The story is fascinating and, in its evenhanded treatment of the subject, valuable for research and classroom use...Extremely well documented, the book concludes with an epilogue that brings the book up-to-date, making it both important and timely." —Booklist

"[E]ven readers personally invested in the gun rights position will find the historical context eye-opening." —The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

From the Publisher

05/01/2020

Gr 6–10—Yale Law School graduate and former U.S. Court of Appeals judicial law clerk Bajramovic begins this guide to the Second Amendment with current data about gun violence and the many students who have lost their lives since the massacre at Columbine in 1999. The majority of the book describes the history of the U.S. from the American Revolution through the present day, and how the interpretation of the Second Amendment has changed in context of major events such as the Civil War and Reconstruction. Bajramovic describes how gun control laws have been used to preserve white supremacy, including the Gun Control Act of 1968. Some historians feel the passage of this act was a response to the Black Panthers openly carrying guns to protect themselves from the police. Insets explain legal terms and political parties. The text details the difference between local, state, and federal rulings, but it does not always succeed because the rulings can be genuinely confusing. The book's title refers to whether the Second Amendment is meant to protect the rights of individuals to bear arms or the militia's right to fight an unjust government. With the gains made by the NRA, including influencing key politicians whose campaigns they financially support, the recent Supreme Court's rulings currently protect individuals' right to bear arms. Back matter includes a bibliography and four websites. VERDICT This book will be of most use to student activists in favor of gun control.—Patricia Aakre, P.S. 89, New York

School Library Journal

2020-05-17
Attorney Bajramovic presents a history of gun rights.

The history begins just before England’s Glorious Revolution (1688), which led to that country’s developing a Bill of Rights that would, about a century later, strongly influence the United States’ own. Unfortunately, the Second Amendment, which established a right to keep and bear arms, is surprisingly ambiguous, leading to long years of uncertainty and strife. Bajramovic informs readers that gun-ownership restrictions in past centuries were common and often racially motivated. Although mostly presented in a clear, straightforward manner, the narrative, replete with numerous graphs, is unlikely to appeal to National Rifle Association members and occasionally demonstrates unnecessary bias, such as with this unpleasant description of NRA hard-liner Harlon Carter, quoted from one of her sources: “Sweat would break out on his already glassy dome, and his face would turn as red as freshly butchered game.” Long supplemental featurettes interrupt the main story frequently, and there are many rather bothersome references to information that will be presented later. Some 800 endnotes keyed to page number within the text help to buttress the factual content. For those who persevere to the end, only two suggestions are offered for ways to help in the gun control movement: write to your politicians and vote when you reach 18.

Such a detailed history, although interesting, may have a limited audience. (charts, bibliography, discussion questions) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews