Abstract
The question of the regulation of handguns is 'one of the most divisive social issues in American society' because 'firearms in general, and handguns in particular, are emblematic of individual autonomy and freedom from government intrusion' . This debate is actually centered on the Second Amendment to the Constitution which protects 'the rights of people to keep and bear arms'. Currently more than 250,000,000 firearms are owned by American individuals with a global population of 300,000,000 people. Thus, this right to keep and bear arms for ones own security seems to be really important in the eyes of the Americans. However, since several years, more Americans are favourable to an increased control concerning the selling of handguns. Moreover, after incidents such as the school-shooting of Littleton (Columbine) on April 1999, which resulted in the deaths of 14 students and a teacher and more recently in a shooting in Los Angeles, many states and cities are becoming aware of the dangers of the free movement of weapons. Nevertheless, we have to underline that, in spite of the guns control tendency, the government has never made strong a decision to increase it significantly.
