The old west and the days of prohibition perhaps were dramatized back when we were kids when we would play Cowboys and Indians or Cops and Robbers. But, today the drama is much more serious and the issues about handguns can be debated until both political parties declare war on each other. In what has become a key topic of the political debates and reason for some of the United States economic struggles there are many things affected by guns and the control of guns. The handgun market has declined so sharply industry experts worry it may never fully recover.
             Among the numerous factors contributing to the decline critics cite, tougher rules for purchasing handguns, the horror caused by office and school shootings and the possibility that Americans already own the guns they desire.
             Handgun sales worldwide have tumbled 52 percent between 1993 and 1999, according to figures released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and firearms.
             Experts in the industry anticipate more hard times in the future for the country's handgun manufacturers, many located in New England's Connecticut River Valley, where George Washington himself established an armory during the Revolution and gun manufacturing has been there every since.
             Among the possible factors market saturation could be one reason. Handguns don't wear out like household appliances and they don't really have built-in obsolescence. In addition the number of licensed gun dealers has decreased by over half. This coming after the ATF toughened certification requirements eager to eliminate small-time dealers.
             Making it tougher for sellers was followed by stiffer rules for buyers. The Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 (Brady Bill) forced, on a national scale, background checks on buyers. This has also caused some potential buyers to stay away because they consider the checks to be intrusive. In a free country it is one of the only things you are scrutinized by...