As per the statistics available with the FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, in 2011 firearms were used in 68 percent of the nation's murders, 41 percent of robberies, and 21 percent of aggravated assaults. Another startling figure: the state data compiled by the GAO, there were approximately 8 million active concealed-carry permits in the United States as of the end of 2011.
However, under the US federal law, it shall be considered a crime, if a person sells or transfers a firearm to any person who has been “adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution.”
Recreational use remains one of the major reasons leading to higher sales of firearms. The gun ownership in the country has gone mainstream with a growing number of Americans considering firearms a natural part of their lives.
Following the heinous Connecticut shooting, US President Obama has vowed to use "whatever power this office holds" to protect US kids against the gun violence, suggesting some political action behind an assault weapons ban. However, it remains to be seen what Obama and US Congress can do to turn this rhetoric into some concrete action so that such mass shootings can be restricted to a minimum.
