The great lesson here is that in gun policy, as in other areas, good intentions are not enough. James B. Jacobs and Zoe Fuhr provide a thorough account of how New York State’s SAFE Act, the ‘toughest gun law in the nation,’ has come up short in implementation and enforcement. This book serves as a well-informed guide to exploring the gap between aspiration and practice, and makes painfully clear that for advocates of gun violence prevention, enacting sensible regulations is just the first step.

- Philip J. Cook, co-author of The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know,

This masterful, penetrating study of the nation's strongest gun control statute does what legal sociology aspires, but often fails, to accomplish: demonstrate the gap—here, a chasm—between the law on the books and the law in action, between policymaking and policy implementation. Anyone concerned with reducing gun violence needs to absorb and act upon its wisdom.

- Peter H. Schuck, author of One Nation Divided: Clear Thinking about Five Hard Issues That Divide Us,

Opens up numerous questions of interest to political scientists. ... Students of public policy have a great basis for theory development in this realistic portrayal of the major limitations of our gun regulatory system.

Political Science Quarterly