Gun Violence

As mass shootings continue to horrify the nation, advocates of stricter gun laws are optimistic that their movement is turning a corner. Young activists led by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., scene of a Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17, have drawn hundreds of thousands of supporters to March for Our Lives rallies across the country. Meanwhile, several states traditionally opposed to gun control have banned devices that enable semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly. And polls show fewer and fewer Americans own guns. But many observers are skeptical that lawmakers will tighten gun laws. Gun-rights supporters continue to challenge the constitutionality of restraints on firearm ownership and say the solution to gun violence is to enforce existing laws, not pass new ones. Political analysts, meanwhile, say Australia and other nations that have reduced gun violence by strictly regulating firearms offer a possible model for the United States.