A HIGH-PROFILE SCHOOL shooting inevitably reignites a nationwide discussion about gun control. Each tragedy brings heightened public concern and immediate pressure for politicians to enact policies to reduce the violence in schools. For instance, on April 30, 2000, when a six-year-old boy shot and killed his first-grade classmate in Michigan, public outrage erupted. People were shocked that a boy so young would have access to a loaded pistol and be able to bring it to school.

Many people believe that guns are too accessible and that new laws should be created to restrict access to handguns. According to Michael Hinds, a writer for the journal American Demographics, the overwhelming majority of Americans support new restrictions on handguns. In fact, new gun control legislation has appeared in several states, but primarily only in response to high-profile school shootings and the anniversaries of such tragedies.

While...