The President wants tougher gun-control legislation and thinks it will work. The public supports more gun-control laws but suspects they won’t work. The public is right. Legal restraints on the lawful purchase of guns will have little effect on the illegal use of guns. Only about two percent of the 65 million or so privately owned handguns are employed to commit crimes, The President wants tougher gun-control legislation and thinks it will work. The public supports more gun-control laws but suspects they won’t work. The public is right. Legal restraints on the lawful purchase of guns will have little effect on the illegal Use of guns. Only about two percent of the 65 million or so privately owned handguns are employed to commit crimes,