Gun Control is a term that refers to the attempt to reduce violence caused by the use of firearms by regulating their ownership and use. Gun control efforts generally focus on passing legislation by local, state, or national government to restrict legal ownership of certain firearms.(Zimring, 1197) Most countries have some restrictions on firearms. This term paper discusses gun control in the United States.
             Proponents(people who are for it) of strict gun control laws argue that reducing the number of crimes committed with guns would save lives. Each year in the United States, more than 35,000 people are killed by guns. This is a death rate much higher than in any other industrial nation. Attacks involving a gun are five times more likely to result in a death than similar attacks made with a knife. In 1992 guns were the weapons used in approximately two-thirds of the murders in the United States. However, gun control laws offer protection for gun owners, and a lot of scared people who want protection in a society that's starting to mirror its movies.(Wouters, pt. 1) "Violence is learned and easily picked up. It really isn't just a gun problem," says Jane Grady, assistant director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado. "We could have all kinds of controls on the guns, but that doesn't necessarily mean our problems will be solved."(Wouters, pt. 2) A recent study found that Americans murder each other with guns at a rate 19 times higher than any of the 25 richest nations surveyed.(Wouters, pt.1) After a particularly shocking killing, several countries have chosen to ban handguns outright. But that hasn't happened in the United States, which gives a constitutional right to own a gun.
             While gun control laws may decrease criminals' access to guns, the same laws restrict law-abiding citizens. About half of all U.S. families own at least one gun...