For gun control advocates the past 10 years have seen one goal achieved after another. The Brady Law, which requires a five-day waiting period was passed during the Clinton administration, then on May 5, 1994, the government banned nineteen assault weapons linked to violent crimes. Gun control proponents feel confident that the gun control issue is swinging their way. "The lesson the Brady Law and assault weapons ban is that the Americans public wants more gun laws not fewer" says Susan Whitmore, communications director for handgun Control Inc. (The CQ Researcher June 10th 1994 pg 507).
Gun control advocates argue that limiting access to guns will curb gun related crimes and accidental shootings. They feel that firearms themselves are the roots of the problem. Gun control opponents believe the problem with gun-related violence rests with the person pulling the trigger rather than the amount of firearms available. The NRA's slogan is "Guns don't kill people - People Do". According to a poll taken by USA today on December 17, 1993 The majority of gun owners and the public in general favor stricter gun control laws including requiring safety glasses, the Brady law, and bans on assault weapons and cheap handguns. But only thirty-nine percent of people favor a ban on guns completely. (USA Today/CNN/ Gallup Poll, Dec. 17-21, 1993) .
Gun enthusiasts argue that weapons kept at home help prevent crime. Eight million gun owners say they have used a gun to defend themselves or their family. (The CQ Researcher June 10th 1994 pg 509) But the majority of gun control advocates argue that household guns are often used during family fights, usually resulting in injury or death. The Gun Control Debate edited by Lee Nisbet states that .
"A burglar will more often steal a home defense weapon than be repelled by it. The overwhelming majority of burglaries are committed while no one is at home (90 percent), and if a confrontation does occur, it typically involves a verbal exchange only.
