Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
(03) Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms — Paul Bonvallet, Department of Chemistry
Why can’t you buy a beer before your 21st birthday? Should tobacco manufacturers be compelled to print gruesome images on their cigarette cartons? Would violent crime decrease if a greater percentage of the population carried concealed guns? Can individual freedom coexist with public safety? Even though alcohol, tobacco, and firearms have been around for centuries and played a profound role in shaping our national history and modern society, we still seem to be grappling with these fundamental questions. Works such as The Prohibition Hangover, Thank You for Smoking, and The Politics of Gun Control will guide our discussion of the scientific, political, and social issues that underlie restricted (but legal) materials in the United States.