CRIME: Beyond the Brady Bill

Up to a point, the bumper stickers are right. Guns don't kill people. People kill people. But the slogans stop short of the obvious question. Without easy access to guns of all kinds, could Americans go on killing one another at anything like the present rate? When the noise of gunfire stopped on the Long Island Rail Road last week, it was the sound of that question that rose in its place. It brought other pressing questions with it. How far do we go? What formula can rein in guns while permitting their legitimate use? And how much will gun control...