Public Opinion on Gun ControlThe 20th century was a time of numerous political assassinations and violent shootings. A shocked nation mourned the deaths of President John Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. In the late 20th century, the nation experienced increasing rates of violent crime, with young people frequently implicated as victims and perpetrators and often armed with firearms. Between July 1992 and June 30, 1999, there were 358 school-related violent deaths in the United States, including 255 deaths of school-aged children, or approximately 51 such violent deaths each year. (Schmitt rot, 2003) Time and time again, public opinion polls have shown that crime and violence are among, if not the, most important concerns that Americans care about. But are these concerns translating into changes in public support for federal gun control measures? I will focus on public attitudes toward gun control, both short and long term. Some Americans believe that stricter federal gun regulation is necessary to reduce the number of gun murders and to ensure a safer, more civilized society. Other proponents of private gun ownership insist that the right to bear arms is guaranteed by long-standing custom and the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and that no cyclical increases in crime, no massacre, nor any political murder should lead the nation to violate gun rights. the Constitution and the individual rights it guarantees. Furthermore, they say, knives and other instruments are used to kill people, and there is no question of regulating or banning them. The National Rifle Association generally believes that if more ordinary, law-abiding citizens carried guns, criminals would be out of luck. a safe place to commit mass murders and other violent crimes. Proponents and opponents of gun control agree that we need to find ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. It is not surprising that the two sides approach the issue differently. The two different gun control strategies involve "deterrence" (discouraging by instilling fear) and "prohibition" (legally prohibiting the use of firearms). Proponents of deterrence, including the Second Amendment Foundation and the NRA, recommend consistent enforcement of current laws and the establishment of harsher penalties to discourage individuals from using firearms middle of paper.. ....8. Smith, Tom W: “2001 National Gun Policy Survey of the National Opinion Research Center: Research Findings, University of Chicago, December 2001. Primary source: National Gun Policy Survey, 1996-1999 and 2001 and General Social Survey, 1996-2000.9. Smith, Tom, W. Public Opinion on Gun Policies. (Audience Perspectives). The future of children, summer-autumn 2002 v12 i2 p155(9)10. Webster, DW Vernick, JS: “Support for New Policies to Regulate Guns.” » New England Journal of Medicine (September 17, 1998) 339(12): 813-18Web 1.: Sourcebook - Index, 1... Attitudes toward gun control, by demographic characteristics, United States, 2001 : http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/1995/ind/PUBLIC_OPINION.Guns,_firear, accessed April 2004.Web 2 "in a relatively less problematic election year (hence Far) Education and health care top the list of issues people want the government to address 2004