Firearms violence is described herein as an American epidemic, with United States citizens killing themselves and each other at record rates. During the same period that firearms violence has escalated, the organized gun control movement has established itself as a permanent player on the political scene. However, representatives of the movement tend to work from an extremely limited base of knowledge and refuse to undertake the research necessary to design a comprehensive plan to curtail firearms violence. It is the basic premise of this study that the first step in any such plan is to recognize firearms as inherently dangerous consumer products which should be subject to comprehensive regulation similar to that which exists for virtually all other such products. This study is less concerned with what transpires at the gun store counter than with the functionings of the industry that manufactures, imports and distributes firearms and related products. It examines the economic forces that have led to dramatic changes in firearms design and marketing and suggests responses to these new threats to public safety. The study is designed to: (1) give an overview of firearms violence that places it within a new conceptual framework; and (2) offer a comprehensive model legislative package designed to regulate firearms in a manner similar to other inherently dangerous consumer products. Endnotes, appendixes, tables, charts, graphs