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Why Gun Control Is So Contentious in the U.S.

Should gun control really be so controversial?

There are people who want to own guns for recreational or self-defense purposes, and on the other side, I don't think anyone wants to see someone walk into a crowded movie theater and kill people," said Art Markman, professor of psychology at the University of Texas. The goal is obvious: protect the former while minimizing the chance of the latter. But history seems to have brought us to a point where the two considerations cannot be reconciled. Here's how it happened.

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Ed Stack bought Dick’s Sporting Goods from his cantankerous father. He has now turned it into an unlikely force in the gun debate.

  The gun solution we’re not talking about

Universal background checks won’t fix America’s gun crisis. But there’s something else that might. What does work is gun licensing. It’s already in effect in 12 states and DC. In Massachusetts, you first have to take a firearm safety course then submit a permit application at a police department. They directly check local law enforcement and mental health agencies, contact references, and run your fingerprints. It’s a real, thorough background check. So it reliably keeps guns away from the same people background checks attempt to filter out. The process also takes about three weeks. Background checks take an average of 108 seconds.

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 Why Americans are buying more guns than ever

Our research examines American gun culture and offers insights into the complex relationship between Americans and guns. We believe there are three general reasons why people are purchasing firearms now.

Articles of Interest

Americans Largely Support Gun Restrictions To 'Do Something' About Gun Violence

What is clear, from public opinion polling, is that Americans believe gun violence is a problem, and they support more restrictions on guns.

Is Gun Ownership Good for Your Health?

Gun advocates say that not only doesn't gun ownership correlate with violence, but that guns are a means to greater safety. But how healthy is it for society to buy in to such an argument?

The Science of Gun Violence and Gun Control in the U.S.

Gun-control laws and ownership restrictions are changing but clearly remain insufficient to bring our rates of gun deaths down to levels found in nearly all other developed countries.

We aren’t having an evidence-based debate about guns

Guns kill 35,000 Americans a year. They’re a threat to public health. Let’s act like it.

A Criminologist’s Case Against Gun Control

A law professor explains why he is skeptical about new approaches to gun violence in America.

Could just three laws reduce gun deaths by 90 percent?

Implementing more background checks and tracing guns more rigorously across the United States could reduce firearm fatalities by 90 percent, a new study claims. But some gun policy scholars say the research is flawed and biased.

Deadly Weapons Have No Place in Hospitals

Hospitals are arming security officers with guns and Tasers—but the medical community is speaking out against the militarization of patient care.

DIY gun control: The people taking matters into their own hands

With the Trump administration stripping away firearms legislation, can citizen scientists and technologists rein in the excesses of US gun culture?

End the Gun Epidemic in America

​It is a moral outrage and national disgrace that civilians can legally purchase weapons designed to kill people with brutal speed and efficiency.

Gun Control Around the World: A Primer

Lessons from Canada to Japan.

Gun control laws actually work, according to new research

Stricter firearm laws are associated with fewer firearm homicides.

Gun research could save lives, but America won't fund it

It's almost impossible to study.

How the Florida School Shooting Turned Into a Gun-Control Movement

Digitally savvy students naturally turned to social media, invoking #NeverAgain to campaign for change in wake of attack.

How To Help Groups Working To End Gun Violence

Once you've beefed up on the issues behind the arguments for and against gun control you might think about donating to an organization or campaign aimed at raising public awareness on gun violence and pushing gun control legislation through Congress. There are more than a few notable organizations worthy of your support.

How US gun control compares to the rest of the world

In the U.S., of course, state gun control measures are often thwarted by the lax attitude to gun acquisition in other states.

How ‘Gun Control’ Became a Taboo Phrase

When talking about firearms, people choose their words carefully.

New Laws That Muzzle Doctors on Gun Safety Are Dangerous

Laws that stop physicians from discussing gun safety with patients are bad for public health.

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Should Doctors Routinely Talk to Patients About Gun Use?

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Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted?

Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted? America's pervasive gun culture stems in part from its colonial history, revolutionary roots, frontier expansion, and the Second Amendment, which states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Stop blaming mental illness for mass shootings

But the convenient cries of “mental health” after mass shootings are worse than hypocritical. They’re factually wrong and stigmatizing to millions of completely nonviolent Americans living with severe mental illness.

The last time the US federal government limited gun ownership was 25 years ago

The last time the federal government managed to pass laws that limit the spread and use of guns in the United States was 25 years ago. It was 1994. Bill Clinton was president and the original Lion King had just been released in theaters.

The Liberal Theology of Gun Control

Guns are what you talk about to avoid having to talk about Islamist terrorism.

The Progressive Gun-Control Charade

After tragedy, politicians glibly call for unworkable reforms—then blame the ‘gun lobby’ when they fail.

The Question Doctors Can't Ask

Is there a gun in your home? If so, is it secure? A Florida law now prevents physicians from discussing firearm safety with patients.

Urgency and Frustration: The Never Again Movement Gathers Momentum

The torpor of Tallahassee notwithstanding, the Parkland students have managed to force their agenda.

Why Doctors Aren’t Asking The One Question That Could Save Your Life

Some doctors don’t feel confident offering safety advice pertaining to a consumer product they’ve never used. Others believe they might be prohibited by law from talking about firearms (and, in some cases, that’s true). Still others don’t want to damage clinician-patient relationships by asking intrusive questions. And a few say they don’t have the time.

Resources

March For Our Lives

Founded after the shooting in Parkland 2018. Fighting for a nation free of gun violence. Join us.

Brady

The mission of the Brady organization and its Million Mom March is to create a safer America by cutting gun deaths in half by 2025.

Coalition for Gun Control

Founded in the wake of the Montreal Massacre, the Coalition for Gun Control was formed to support strategies to reduce gun death, injury and crime.

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) is a 501(c)(4) organization that was founded in 1974. We seek to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement and effective policy advocacy.

Concert Across America

The power of music to reach far and wide has fueled countless important movements in recent decades. Now is the time to turn up the music to turn down the hateful rhetoric that has become a hallmark of the gun debate.

Everytown

Everytown is a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities. Gun violence touches every town in America. For too long, change has been thwarted by the Washington gun lobby and by leaders who refuse to take common-sense steps that will save lives.

Giffords

Giffords is fighting to end the gun lobby’s stranglehold on our political system. We’re daring to dream what a future free from gun violence looks like. We’re going to end this crisis, and we’re going to do it together.

International Action Network on Small Arms

The International Action Network on Small Arms is the global movement against gun violence, linking civil society organisations working to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons.

Newtown Action Alliance

We Are All Touched by Gun Violence: The Newtown Action Alliance provides comfort, education, scholarship and other support and resources to people and communities impacted by or living in the aftermath of gun violence in American society, and to help them lead the way toward positive cultural change.

Zero Gun Violence Movement

There is story behind every gun shot fired - are we ready to listen to the full story? Because that is where you will find the solution to gun violence. Louis March ~ Founder.

Bishops United Against Gun Violence

Bishops United Against Gun Violence is a group of more than 60 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.

Grandmothers Against Gun Violence

Grandmothers Against Gun Violence works collaboratively with other groups to reduce gun violence and remedy the complex societal factors that contribute to a culture of gun violence.

Moms Demand Action

It's time for gun sense in America.

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence

The mission of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV) is to reduce gun violence through legislative advocacy and education designed to encourage action, influence public opinion and lead to policy change. With a primary focus on New York State, NYAGV also advocates at the local and national levels for laws, policies and practices that protect New York State residents, particularly youth, from gun violence

States United to Prevent Gun Violence

States United to Prevent Gun Violence is a grassroots network of 30 state affiliates working to make our communities and families safer. As part of our 50 State Solution to end gun violence, we support existing state-based gun violence prevention groups and bring new partners into the movement.

Student Pledge Against Gun Violence

The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is a national program that honors the role that young people, through their own decisions, can play in reducing gun violence. This campaign against youth gun violence culminates each year on a Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence.

Women Against Gun Violence

Traditional approaches to fighting gun violence have been largely limited to policy development and lobbying government to pass more restrictive firearms laws. While policy advocacy is essential and part of what we do, our founding innovative idea of taking on gun violence as a women’s issue and focusing on violence prevention on a community level forms the basis of our program work.

The New York Times

News about Guns and Gun Control, including commentary and archival articles...