Gun politics in the United States refers to an ongoing political and social debate regarding both the restriction and availability of firearms within the United States. It has long been among the most controversial and intractable issues in American politics

American politics

American politics is an area of study within the academic discipline of political science. It is primarily, but not exclusively, studied by researchers in the United States...

. For the last several decades, the debate has been characterized by a stalemate between an individual right to bear arms based on the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution

Second Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...

 and the responsibility of government to prevent crime, maintain order and protect the wellbeing of its citizens.