Reducing Gun Violence “There are presently in excess of two hundred million guns in the United States, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms” (Gottfried 13). Each year this number grows by four to five million. There are sixty to sixty-five million legal owners of one or more guns, and half of these legal owners have their guns kept at home (Gottfried 13). Most people keep guns for protection. Others keep guns for hunting, target shooting, collecting, and similar pursuits. In recant years nearly 35,000 people have been killed annually by guns in the United States (Gottfried 13). These deaths have included 15,0