In America, there are approximately 77.49 million adult gun owners. But that number is dwarfed by the number of actual guns, which as of December 2021 was marked at over 400 million. 

Limiting gun ownership and reducing gun violence are fiercely debated topics in American society. Legal gun owners say that proposed legislation meant to grapple with gun violence burdens them rather than criminals; politicians argue that background checks and limiting magazine capacity will save lives; but those regularly experiencing gun violence in urban areas say that political prescription won’t cure the malady.  

And on the more fringes of the conversation is the belief that only law enforcement should carry guns, which detractors say is dangerous and unconstitutional. 
So, what’s the middle ground in the debate on gun control? Is the term itself problematic? How do you better protect the public without burdening law-abiding gun owners? And is the Second Amendment being misapplied? 

Join WHYY and the Northeast Regional branch of The Free Library of Philadelphia for a Community Conversation where we’ll examine all sides of this argument and explore the tensions between advancing public safety and ensuring constitutional freedoms.