In the early twenty-first century one-third of American homes have guns (pistols, revolvers, shotguns or rifles), representing approximately 200 million firearms. In the late 1990s, the number of deaths from bullets declined, but still averaged eighty-seven deaths per day in America.

Firearms were introduced to America by the first European explorers, traders and settlers to hunt and fight. Most colonial towns required able-bodied males to own a musket and train with the local militia. Their skill and prudent use of guns to hunt, protect the family and town, and project the community’s power affected men’s social and political prestige; this attitude is still held by many Americans. After the Revolution, Americans, surrounded by monarchies and wary of despots who might rise from among their own ranks, guaranteed the personal ownership of guns to allow the people to retain control of their new Republic. The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution (see Bill of Rights) became the backbone of gun-rights legislation for two centuries.

In the nineteenth century the western frontier required continued gun ownership and skills until each area became settled. Post-emancipation blacks used firearms to protect their families, and rural Americans continued to hunt with firearms. As industrialization and urbanization progressed, the new city dwellers had less need for guns. A small percentage of men and women owned them for protection, crime, sports and collecting.

By the end of the twentieth century 80 percent of the American population lived in cities.

At the same time, Americans’ spectrum of attitudes towards guns became a divisive force as a strong movement grew to limit, if not eliminate, the private ownership of firearms. It was fueled by an increase in the misuse of guns, especially by younger Americans, the use of more deadly 9mm handguns, children caught in the crossfires of inner-city drug wars, the crippling of President Reagan’s Press Secretary James Brady and school massacres. Lobbyists, like Handgun Control, fought for more laws to restrict the number of privately owned guns through registration and prohibition. By the end of the century they were successful in passing federal laws to eliminate the sale of many military-style rifles and to require a check and waiting period for would-be handgun owners. Some cities and states enacted more restrictive gun laws or even sued gun manufacturers. Other groups sought to diminish gun violence in the media.

The opposition, generally led by the National Rifle Association, sometimes joined by the American Civil Liberties Union, has been powerful. Stressing personal defense, sports and the 2nd Amendment, they have fought many successful legal actions on local, state and federal levels. While many people oppose further gun regulation because they see it as a first step in the government confiscation of all firearms, they have pushed for tougher legal prosecution and sentences for people who use guns in crimes.