Gun control

From SourceWatch
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The term gun control, according to the Wikipedia, "refers to attempts by society (generally by government or 'the State') to limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of 'guns' -- in this context, generally personal firearms: handguns and long guns. Weapons normally produced and intended for military and paramilitary (e.g. SWAT team) use, such as fully-automatic weapons, are especially contentious."

Infoplease defines gun control as "government limitation of the purchase and ownership of firearms," with the "availability of guns ... controlled by nations and localities throughout the world." Although, it states, the "'right of the people to keep and bear arms' is guaranteed by the Constitution, [it] has been variously interpreted through the years." For example, "in 2002 the Justice Department, under Attorney General John Ashcroft, indicated that it interpreted the amendment as more broadly supporting the rights of individuals to possess and bear firearms."


U.S. gun control legislation

Time magazine researched a timeline of gun control legislation, including Pres. Franklin Roosevelt's National Firearms Act (NFA) in 1934, aimed at criminal gangs, Federal Firearms Act (FFA) of 1938, Gun Control Act of 1968 championed by President Lyndon B. Johnson after three high-profile assassinations (Pres. John Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).[1]

Related SourceWatch Resources

External links

Background

As a Political Issue, U.S. presidential election, 2004

Articles & Commentary

  • Timeline of the Major Gun Control Laws in America