Firearms and violence

Abstract

Questions about firearms ownership and use are significant elements of crime policy and constitutional law in the United States. Two important recent issues involving guns are the distinction between prevalence and incidence effects of gun ownership and the important contrast between private gun rights in households and in public spaces. This chapter attempts to summarize the issues and known facts about firearms and violence, as well as the government strategies toward gun ownership and use in light of the Supreme Court’s recent jurisprudence on the Second Amendment.