One great thing about the US is that states can act like laboratories for testing different laws. Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws requiring som

One great thing about the US is that states can act like laboratories for testing different laws. Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws requiring someone to obtain a gun permit before they can own a gun. Massachusetts also is second only to Hawaii in the lowest firearm death rate: http://www.statemaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir-death-rate-per-100-000/ http://www.statemaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir-death-rate-... The firearm death rate in MA is 1/5 - 1/6 the rate of high death rate states. I looked into what it takes to get a gun permit in MA and was surprised by how common sense it is. As long as you have a record of no violent felonies and no current restraining orders you must take a gun safety course. Then you need to submit a signed statement to the chief of police in your town from two adults saying you are an upstanding person. This way the police know who has a gun and they are probably best able to judge if you should have a gun.