Due to the recent rise in gun violence, Gun Control has once again, become a most heated issue in Congress. In 1999 alone, there was Columbine (15 dead, 23 wounded), the Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth (eight dead, seven wounded), the North Valley Jewish Community Center near Los Angeles (five wounded), Atlanta (nine dead, 13 wounded), Honolulu (seven wounded), and Seattle (two dead, two wounded) (Birnbaum "Under the Gun" 34). These events have caused many American people to demand some type of action from the federal government. However, due to the intense competition between both political parties and the vast difference in opinions held by each side of the debate, little progress is being made. Today, passing any type of legislation on gun control is like trying to squeeze water out of a rock. Yes, Republicans and Democrats have been debating the issue for decades now and still each side believes as though their ideas regarding the issue are the solution to the nation's so called problem of gun violence.

             According to recent polls, the majority of the American citizenry approve of stronger gun control. Eighty one percent of the public see the availability of guns and the increase in the number of guns as the root cause of increasing gun violence in the nation ("Support"). After a six year old shot and killed Kayla Rolland at her school in Michigan, with a gun he had taken from his home, many ask, what measures might have kept the gun out of the hands of this child. Still others suggest that it is too soon to consider what went wrong in this situation. State Rep. Laura Baird concludes, "I know it is not too soon to consider these things. Instead, it's about five days too late." (Baird 11).

             Last summer a group of Democrats in the Michigan house worked a great deal on developing some sort of legislation to end gun violence in Michigan. The package they put together is called, "Safe kids-Responsible adults-Gun-Free zones", named after the project's three main goals.