The Duel over Gun Control

Slogans, contradictory statistics and passionate arguments

A handgun is sold in the U.S. every 13 seconds, adding 2 million a year to the nation's estimated arsenal of 55 million automatics and revolvers. That is one pistol for every four Americans. There is no dispute over these facts, but the endless debate over gun control, pro and con, is dominated by facile slogans, contradictory statistics and arguments that owe as much to passion as to reason. The only consensus is that the present patchwork of nearly 25,000 gun regulations-most at the state and local levels—is...

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