Here are what I consider the best references on the subjects of criminology, firearms policy & culture, second amendment history, and the need for effective self-defense. Gary Kleck's Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America is perhaps the best collection of criminological data available on the subject of firearms. It recently won the highly prestigious Hindelang Prize from the American Society of Criminology as "the most important contribution to criminology over the past several years." Publisher Aldine de Gruyter can be reached at (914) 747-0110. David Kopel compares firearms in foreign cultures and America in The Samurai, The Mountie, and The Cowboy. Kopel's thoroughly researched and thoughtful book was recently awarded Book of the Year by the American Society of Criminology, Division of International Criminology, for it's outstanding scholarship. Stephen Halbrook's That Every Man Be Armed is an excellent review of the legal, political and philosophical history behind the Second Amendment. Halbrook is a philosopher, scholar, and attorney who has recently and successfully argued firearms law before the U.S. Supreme Court. The above 2 are available from LibertyTree Books: (510) 568-6047. Jeffrey Snyder's essay "A Nation of Cowards" is one of the best writings I've seen on the need for self-defense & firearms rights. It's available in the Fall 1993 issue of The Public Interest at (202) 785-8555 or from my ftp directory. (ftp rkba.org, get public_html/comment/cowards.txt) Clayton Cramer & Dave Kopel track crime in states that have reformed their firearms carry laws. Most spectacular is the >30% reduction in Florida's murder rate following non- discretionary (objectively-issued) concealed carry permits. Their paper: "Concealed Handgun Permits for Licensed, Trained Citizens: A Policy that is Saving Lives," is #14-93 from the Independence Institute, (303) 279-6536. I hope you find this helpful, Jeff Chan webmaster@rkba.org