Our National Nightmare – The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment by Thom Hartmann

I became familiar with Thom Hartmann through his Substack, The Hartmann Report, which reports on current affairs and politics. Sometimes it is so unsettling I can only read it in small doses.

Since this book was published in 2019, gun deaths have gotten even further out of control. It seems as though there is a new incident of mass murder every week, sometimes even more often than that. It is clear that certain violent-leaning and suggestible individuals were empowered by the election and administration of Donald Trump, perhaps even more so after the January 6th insurrection, which fortunately failed. Even so, a future second term for him is a chilling prospect. That being said, in just four years, gun violence is far, far worse than it was at the time of publication and a revised edition would surely reflect that.

However, this little book is an important history and guide to the circumstances that have brought the United States to develop its dangerous relationship with firearms. It reinforced much of what I already knew on the topic, and illuminated some of the finer points of historical detail. I would recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about what brought this country to this point, and what can be done to enable much-needed change.