Examining the everyday actions of ordinary individuals, this book highlights how extreme political and cultural polarization can distort the criminal justice system. It explores the ways in which these dynamics undermine the foundational ideals of American democracy and the longstanding principles of human rights articulated throughout Anglo-American history. Through this lens, the author sheds light on the gap between societal behavior and the values enshrined in historical documents.
Tom Diaz's first book, Making a Killing (The New Press, 1999), is widely considered to be the most influential anti-gun book ever written. It helped to spark a national media campaign around the machinations of the gun industry and the wave of violence it spawned. Picking up where Making a Killing left off, The Last Gun looks at how the gun industry has changed in the intervening decade, how gun violence has changed in step with industry trends and why the time is ripe for a new political effort to attack gun violence at its source: the guns themselves.
The book delves into the gun industry's strategies to boost profits through the production and promotion of increasingly lethal and easily concealable firearms. It reveals the aggressive marketing tactics employed by manufacturers and examines the implications of these practices on society and public safety. Through detailed analysis, the author sheds light on the intersection of profit motives and the consequences of gun proliferation.