The debate over gun control in the United States has waxed and waned over the years. Each time there is a mass killing by gunmen in civilian settings, there is outrage—for what seems like 10 seconds. In particular, the killing of 20 schoolchildren and six educators in Newtown in December 2012 fueled a national discussion over gun laws, with calls by the Obama administration to limit the availability of military-style weapons.
But despite extensive public support, legislation to ban semi-automatic assault weapons and expand background checks was defeated in the Senate in 2013. Deadly mass shootings in 2015, including the killing of nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, and 14 at a community center in San Bernardino, California, helped to rekindle the debate. But little has changed.
