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and New York, rarely issue permits allowing people to carry handguns. Other states, such as Alaska and Arizona, impose very few restrictions. Privileges that are taken for granted by gun owners in one state may become illegal once they cross the border into a neighboring state. Sometimes, gun laws can vary within a state. Often, large cities will have stricter regulations on firearms than exist elsewhere in the state. For example, hunting is a way of life in rural Pennsylvania, and ownership of long guns (rifles and shotguns) for sporting use is relatively common throughout most of the state. However, the state’s two major cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as some suburban municipalities, have imposed additional laws to restrict firearm ownership—particularly handguns, which they fear will be used to commit crimes. Many gun rights activists bristle at firearms restrictions generally, but the lack of uniform laws across jurisdictions can be particularly upsetting to them. This situation, gun rights advocates argue, creates confusion and places an unfair burden on gun owners. Those who live in, or travel to, jurisdictions with the strictest firearms laws may even be deprived of their fundamental right to defend themselves, gun activists claim. There is another side to the issue, however. Ensuring public safety is the most basic duty of any government. And when guns are used irresponsibly or criminally, innocent people may—and often do—suffer serious injury or death. So the question becomes, how should the individual’s right to have a firearm be balanced with the

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Contemporary Issues: Gun Control