A Nation of Cowards was first published in 1993 as an essay in a journal called The Public Interest. In a previous column, I said that I considered it the greatest document of the American gun rights debate.
Now the author, Jeff Snyder, has published a book that will be mandatory reading for those who enjoyed the original essay. It is titled Nation of Cowards and is available from Accurate Press (1-800-374-4049). The new book includes the namesake essay and many more that examine the ethical and moral roots of the right to keep and bear arms.
Nation of Cowards contains far too many good points to list them all here. If you are interested in the gun debate you must read it for yourself. It's possible that the intellectual tone and language may be challenging for some readers. Nation of Cowards would really excel as required reading material for college courses in ethics, sociology, criminology or government.
If it were up to me, every college student would be expected to read the book and write a lengthy report demonstrating his or her understanding of the material. But considering the current climate of mindless political correctness in higher education, I won't hold my breath.
Dr. Michael S. Brown is an optometrist and board member of Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws (www.dsgl.org). You may e-mail him at rkba2000@yahoo.com.