Gun Control: History of Guns/Gun Control

Gun control is one of the most enduringly controversial issues in modern American politics, yet it has long historical roots. Guns have long been a root of American violence yet are also inextricably intertwined with the Revolutionary and frontier traditions, cultural and recreational activities, and American mythology.

From its first appearance in the fourteenth century, the gun aroused government suspicion. Like every European nation, England limited access to firearms to trained troops in government service and to the elite. Gun production, centralized in London, also fell under government supervision.

In the 1920s and '30s, the U.S. was dealing with a different kind of gun violence epidemic: a massive increase in organized crime, fueled by Prohibition.

Gangsters, like Al Capone, were making big money trafficking illegal alcohol. And a key weapon in their arsenal was the machine gun.

The Pew Research Center has tracked shifting public attitudes about guns over the past 20 years. Explore our polling data below to public opinion on guns across demographic groups and read the latest report on these findings.

Description and analysis of the Second Amendment that provided the right of the people to keep and bear arms, in large part because of the need to maintain a well-regulated militia.