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Diaz and the Phillips present an engaging piece of research on a contentious and all-too-real piece of American culture, and provide an entree into this discourse that will be valuable to anyone wanting more context, or anyone wanting to find a way in to activism on the gun control side of things - the very thing we believe the authors may be hoping for. * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books * Retired lawyer and former journalist Diaz (The Last Gun), in collaboration with Lonnie and Sandy Phillips, the parents of Aurora shooting victim Jessica (Jessi) Redfield Ghawl, write an earnest examination of U.S. gun violence. Chapters alternate between personal details (the horrific irony of Ghawl's being present at but escaping the June 2, 2012, Toronto food court shooting only to die six weeks later in the Aurora tragedy), and ambitious attempts to provide a historic context for how we got to this point and why nothing seems to be changing. The authors' use of statistics is compelling; they write, We are shadowed by the knowledge that at any minute of any day another public mass shooting erupt, completing this book just before 12 people were killed at a Virginia Beach Municipal Center in June 2019; how many more mass shootings before there's dedicated change? * Library Journal * Diaz insightfully observes that the United States' problems with firearms and mass shootings are symptomatic of an even more dangerous malady: a broken democracy failing its people. As he suggests, by healing the underlying cultural divide, we may find common ground on solutions to gun violence and many other important issues, so that America can once again glimpse its full potential -- Adam Lankford, Criminology Professor, The University of Alabama Diaz does the diligent work of an investigator, activist, and historian who weaves together events, organizations, and individuals to tell a story that culminates in tragedy. The juxtaposition of the political and institutional mechanisms with the personal story of Jessica Ghawi demands that we examine our collective moral compass and decide the direction we want for the future of gun laws and violence. If the overwhelming empirical and historical evidence is somehow insufficient, the courage and fortitude of the Phillips cannot and should not be ignored. By providing a thorough explanation of how the United States has arrived at a point in which violence is mourned, yet seemingly accepted, this book will hopefully encourage a more informed narrative and encourage lawmakers to reexamine gun control so that the legacy of Jessica and victims like her will inspire change. -- Sarah Daly, PhD, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society, Saint Vincent College

Diaz and the Phillips present an engaging piece of research on a contentious and all-too-real piece of American culture, and provide an entree into this discourse that will be valuable to anyone wanting more context, or anyone wanting to find a way “in” to activism on the gun control side of things – the very thing we believe the authors may be hoping for. * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books * Retired lawyer and former journalist Diaz (The Last Gun), in collaboration with Lonnie and Sandy Phillips, the parents of Aurora shooting victim Jessica (Jessi) Redfield Ghawl, write an earnest examination of U.S. gun violence. Chapters alternate between personal details (the horrific irony of Ghawl’s being present at but escaping the June 2, 2012, Toronto food court shooting only to die six weeks later in the Aurora tragedy), and ambitious attempts to provide a historic context for how we got to this point and why nothing seems to be changing. The authors’ use of statistics is compelling; they write, “We are shadowed by the knowledge that at any minute of any day another public mass shooting erupt,” completing this book just before 12 people were killed at a Virginia Beach Municipal Center in June 2019; how many more mass shootings before there’s dedicated change? * Library Journal * Diaz insightfully observes that the United States' problems with firearms and mass shootings are symptomatic of an even more dangerous malady: a broken democracy failing its people. As he suggests, by healing the underlying cultural divide, we may find common ground on solutions to gun violence and many other important issues, so that America can once again glimpse its full potential -- Adam Lankford, Criminology Professor, The University of Alabama Diaz does the diligent work of an investigator, activist, and historian who weaves together events, organizations, and individuals to tell a story that culminates in tragedy. The juxtaposition of the political and institutional mechanisms with the personal story of Jessica Ghawi demands that we examine our collective moral compass and decide the direction we want for the future of gun laws and violence. If the overwhelming empirical and historical evidence is somehow insufficient, the courage and fortitude of the Phillips cannot and should not be ignored. By providing a thorough explanation of how the United States has arrived at a point in which violence is mourned, yet seemingly accepted, this book will hopefully encourage a more informed narrative and encourage lawmakers to reexamine gun control so that the legacy of Jessica and victims like her will inspire change. -- Sarah Daly, PhD, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society, Saint Vincent College

Author Information

Tom Diaz is a retired lawyer, former journalist, writer, and gun owner who has authored a number of non-fiction books, monographs and articles about crime, terrorism, and firearms. He has been a guest on CNN, HLN, MSNBC, NPR, and other national and foreign news media. Diaz is the author of Making a Killing: The Business of Guns in America (1999), Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil (with Barbara Newman) (2005), No Boundaries—Transnational Latino Gangs and American Law Enforcement (2009), and The Last Gun: How Changes in the Gun Industry Are Killing Americans and What It Will Take to Stop It (2013). He was Democratic counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice from 1993 to 1997, where his specialties included terrorism and firearms regulation. He was senior policy analyst at a Washington-based gun violence reduction organization from 1997 to 2012.

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