Off Target by Professor Schwarz offers an astute look at Justin Trudeau's controversial “buyback” and the freeze on legal sales of handguns to licenced owners. His even-handed approach is eye-opening. Professor Schwarz skilfully assesses the likely public safety benefits, and harms, of the Trudeau-era legislation, as well as considering the devastating impacts it imposes upon hunters, sports shooters, and Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Off Target is a must read to determine if the Trudeau era firearms restrictions should be considered “security theatre” or effective public policy.

Gary Mauser, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Schwartz begins his sharp analysis from the sensible, but generally overlooked, premise that gun control legislation is the product of specific political incentive structures and thought is rarely given to seriously examining the effectiveness of the policies that result from those political dynamics. He fills this gap with a solid evidence-based evaluation of recent Canadian gun control policies, largely finding them ineffective. Furthermore, he clearly articulates the real challenge Canadian policy needs to confront, gun smuggling, and he reviews locally successful gun violence interventions that can be strengthened and expanded. Overall, Off Target is an important and persuasive examination of recent Canadian gun control, combining careful policy evaluation with insights that will resonate across political science and public policy.

Dylan S. McLean, University of West Georgia, USA

In Off Target Schwartz has produced the rarest of all things: a book that provides a balanced and nuanced examination of gun control, without falling for political rhetoric or attempting to win favour from the government, the gun lobby, or anti-gun activists. This work cuts through the myths, misinformation, and outright lies that so often characterize the firearms policy debate not only in Canada but around the world. Using carefully compiled facts and evidence, and a refreshingly critical perspective, this important book shows that measures advanced under the banner of gun control all too often have little to do with genuine public health and safety outcomes, and everything to do with games of power and politics.

Samara McPhedran, Violence Prevention Institute Australia