Advocates for and against gun control in the United States argue the issues under the general

topics of
the relationship between guns and crime, the constitutionality of gun control, guns and self-defense,
measures to reduce gun violence, and how other nations deal with gun violence and gun control.

Abstract: In examining how gun control would affect crime, advocates of gun control argue that
restrictions on the accessibility of firearms, handguns in particular, would reduce the rate of firearm-
related crimes, suicides, and accidental deaths. Two papers favor an assault-weapons ban and the
disarming of the police along with the citizenry. Opponents of gun control argue that it would not
reduce crime, since it would embolden criminals, who would manage to secure firearms, to attack
citizens whom they believe to be unarmed; they believe that an armed citizenry is the best deterrent
against violent crime. In debating the issue as to whether or not gun control is constitutional, the focus
is on the Second Amendment and its interpretation. Gun-control advocates argue that the Second
Amendment refers only to the arming of a State militia and cite court cases that have offered this
interpretation. Gun-control opponents maintain that the "right to bear arms" is guaranteed not only to
members of a State militia but also to every citizen. They cite English common law as the basis for this
interpretation and the perspective of the framers of the U.S. Constitution. In debating whether or not
gun ownership is an effective means of self-defense, opponents of gun control cite instances where gun
ownership either deterred or prevented a crime; advocates of gun- control cite statistics that show a
gun in the home is more likely to kill a family member than an intruder. In discussing measures to
reduce gun violence, a common concern of both opponents and advocates of gun control, some of the
suggestions offered are expanded Federal gun-control laws, increased penalties for gun-related crimes,
the banning of handguns, social change, a reduction in violence on TV, the practice of gun safety, and
product liability for gun manufacturers. An examination of gun control and its effectiveness in various
nations is offered by both advocates and opponents of strict gun control. A 63-item bibliography and a
subject index