Vote Gun is an interesting look at how gun rights became more and more partisan. Patrick J. Charles shows us how that happened through bills, advertising, and assassinations of political figures. Overall, Vote Gun is incredibly informative for anyone interested in the topic, but the writing does get a bit dry in places.

This book is valuable for several reasons. First, Charles shows that the gun issue, although some historians and writers would like to argue it is, is actually not a new topic in politics and in American society at large. He convincingly busts the myth that it only became a wedge issue in the 1970s, as campaign finance allowed the NRA more leverage in politics. Chapter 1 of the book shows how this rhetoric really began with local rule on guns, rather than making it a federal issue. Components of Charles argument involved the NRA, but also the 1911 Sullivan Law in New York and the threat of a "5th column" on the homefront in WWII.

I had never heard of the 1961 TV program "The Right to Keep and Bear Arms" hosted by Peter Gunn, This shows, however, that the issue was bantered about even during the Kennedy years.

Ch. 5 really does a nice job looking at the evolution of NRA politics. What I found really important was Charles' discussion of CA Bill 1591. There always seems to be this argument put forth about black power and the Black Panther Party, which was castigated for openly carrying their firearms. The usual argument was that the subsequent law was passed to crack down on vigilant groups, but Charles makes it clear that it was more about protecting the 2nd amendment and helping police.

Nixon's involvement in the regulation of Saturday Night Specials also is a great contribution to our understanding of the issue.

All around, the book is a great read for anyone looking for more insight into the issue of guns in modern American history, but it is also a great book that looks at the impact of interest groups and lobbying efforts.