Overview of Gun Policy

The U.S. is the world leader in private gun ownership. The firearm death rate per capita is high.

Because there is no regulation of the secondary market and because guns can be transported between states without restriction, there is no truly effective gun control in the United States.

The significant rise in the number of school shootings continues to raise the visibility of gun control as a policy issue. An increasing number of Americans support stronger national gun control legislation.

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the private right to gun ownership as a protectiion of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.