Robert Spitzer (political scientist)

Robert J. Spitzer is an American political scientist.

Education
Spitzer attended high school in New Hartford, New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) degree from SUNY Fredonia (1975), a Master of Arts degree (1978) and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (1980) from Cornell University.

Career
Spitzer is Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the State University of New York at Cortland. He is the author of fourteen books and hundreds of articles, essays, and papers on many topics related to American government. His areas of specialty include the American Presidency, and gun control. His recent books include Saving the Constitution from Lawyers: How Legal Education and Law Reviews Distort Constitutional Meaning, and Gun Control: A Documentary and Reference Guide. He is the author of The Politics of Gun Control (ISBN 978-159451987-1; fifth ed., 2012), a book which analyzes the political antecedents and consequences of the controversial issue of gun control. The book examines the history of gun control, the Second Amendment, criminological consequences of guns, the role of interest groups, public opinion, Congress, Presidency, the courts, and the major legislative acts pertaining to gun control, including the Gun Control Act of 1968, the Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986, the Brady Act of 1993, the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, and the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005.

Spitzer views the Brady Act as a notable piece of legislation because, during its first decade of implementation, it prevented about one million handgun purchases nationwide (representing about 2.5 percent of all handgun purchases) from being completed to those with criminal records or mental problems. The measure's enactment was politically significant because it represented a defeat for the politically powerful National Rifle Association. The law was also significant because the higher fees imposed by the act led to the reduction of licensed gun dealers from 300,000 to 100,000.

Prior to and since the United States Supreme Court rulings in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010), Spitzer argues that history and prior law do not support the individualist interpretation of the Second Amendment reflected in these two recent court rulings. Writing since the two cases were handed down, he said that "the Heller and McDonald rulings have established as a matter of law an individual rights interpretation of the Second Amendment. But although judges can change the law, they cannot change history, and the historical record largely contradicts the bases for these two recent rulings."

Spitzer's web page can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/robertspitzercortland/

Partial bibliography

 * The Presidency and Public Policy (1983)
 * The Right to Life Movement and Third Party Politics (1987)
 * The Presidential Veto (1988)
 * The Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution (1990)
 * President and Congress (1993)
 * Media and Public Policy (1993)
 * The Politics of Gun Control (1995, 1998, 2004, 2008, 2012)
 * Politics and Constitutionalism (2000)
 * The Right to Bear Arms (2001)
 * Essentials of American Politics (2002)
 * The Presidency and the Constitution (2005)
 * Saving the Constitution from Lawyers (2008)
 * Gun Control: A Documentary and Reference Guide (2009)
 * Encyclopedia of Gun Control and Gun Rights (with Glenn Utter) (2011)
 * We the People: Essentials Edition (co-authored), 9th ed. (2013)
 * Editor, Book Series on American Constitutionalism for SUNY Press

Awards and honors

 * Chair of Political Science Department SUNY Cortland(2008-current)
 * SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities (2003)
 * President, Presidency Research Group of the American Political Science Association (2001–2003)
 * Cortland College Student Association Outstanding Faculty Award (1987, 1991 and 2003)
 * New York State/United University Professions Excellence Award (1991)
 * Best Paper Award, American Political Science Association (1996)
 * Member, New York State Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution (1986–1990)
 * Former Chair, Homer Zoning Board of Appeals
 * Hearing Officer, Cortland, Tompkins, and Chenango County Boards of Health