ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to outlining the major forms of gun regulation currently in existence, and describing their enforcement and administration. Gun controls can also be distinguished by what sorts of people are targeted by the controls. Although most gun laws use language that prohibits certain acts without regard to who does them, many regulations are in practice aimed at restricting gun acquisition, possession, and use among high-risk subsets of the population. Registration might provide an incentive for gun owners to be careful to avoid transferring a gun to an ineligible recipient — if the gun were misused, it could be traced back to its previous owner. In the absence of mandatory sentencing provisions, the criminal justice system is lenient on violent criminals, or at least does not impose higher penalties on gun offenders than criminals who do not use guns.
