This well-organized and written reference begins with the United States v. Miller, a case that was used by lower courts for years to regulate the right to bear arms, although since the government argued the case unopposed it raised as many questions as it answered. Streissguth then goes on to set the stage for the District of Columbia v. Heller case, including the NRA’s lack of support for the case because they had one of their own test cases pending. He also provides the historical background from colonial times. The reference provides readers with all of the necessary background to understand the gun control debate and the cases surrounding it without making judgments.  The final chapter, “The Impact of the Decision,” gives information on the some of the results of the landmark decision and potential effects in the future. The book includes a chronology of events, a glossary and additional resources. A good reference on how cases are selected to be test cases, how they are built and move through the system. The author states in the last chapter that the Second Amendment is likely to come under review by the Supreme Court again; since there is such a high likelihood that there will be more decisions on this subject, I rated this an Additional Purchase.