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including mass shootings in Parkland, Florida (seventeen killed) and Santa Fe, Texas (ten killed). Between 1966 and 2018, there have been over 150 incidents in which four or more people were killed by a lone shooter in a public place. “Public mass shootings account for a tiny fraction of the country’s gun deaths, but they are uniquely terrifying because they occur without warning in the most mundane places,” noted a Washington Post analysis. “Most of the victims are chosen not for what they have done but simply for where they happen to be.” 4 The increasing frequency of these attacks have angered and upset many Americans. However, Americans are deeply divided over the most effective response. Some believe that increased gun control is required, and advocate for new laws that would make it harder for people to buy guns. Others believe that existing laws, if properly enforced, are enough to prevent such shootings, and find it unfair to restrict the rights of millions of law-abiding gun owners.

To see how US presidents have responded to school

shootings, scan here.

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Overview and History of Gun Control