Gun violence is on the rise in America, especially among younger generations. Every time the news is on or a newspaper is turned on, there seems to be a story about a shooting. This could take the form of a school shooting, gang violence, or a disgruntled teen or adult angry at someone. Something must be done to protect the younger generation from a lifestyle characterized by violent behavior involving firearms. The problem is not knowing what causes such erratic behavior. It was only after the shooting that investigators determined why the individual used a gun to kill. Much research needs to be done on what is needed to stop an individual before incidents occur and laws need to be created to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands. History In the United States, gun control has been identified as a major issue for many years. . Many government officials have touted gun control as a way to reduce criminal activity. The government's vision is to take guns away from individuals. In fact, this form of control dates back to the pre-Revolution period (Gettings & McNiff, 2013). During this period, gun control legislation was designed to keep guns away from African Americans, which in turn sparked issues of discrimination (Gettings & McNiff, 2013). McNiff, 2013). The discrimination and type of gun control continued even after the Civil War. Towards the end of the 19th century, gun control changed direction. Gun control legislation had a strong anti-immigration focus (Gettings & McNiff, 2013). Later in history; another gun control law was enacted, known as the Gun Control Act of 1968 (Vizzard, 2013). This particular law aimed to reduce crime by removing inexpensive guns and banning them (Vizzard, 2013...... middle of document...... Safe States. Reference Cohen, M. (December 13 2013). One year after Newtown, the armed carnage in the United States continues with no end in sight. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/13/newtown-anniversary-american-gun. -carnage-continuesEppers, A. (2009). Quote from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/208413-dangerous-laws-created-by-well-intentioned-people-today-can-beGettings, J. and McNiff, C. (2013) Federal Gun Control Legislation Milestones (December 13, 2013). ).wn.com/view/2013/09/17/Major_shooting_incidents_in_the_United_States/Vizzard, W. (2013). Mississippi Gun News Retrieved from http://www.mississippigunnews.com. /history-of-the. -Gun Control Act 1968/