Violence, homicide, and murder have always been prevalent in the United States, particularly in the South. The circumstances for murders have varied over the generations, but murder and violence seem to have a common theme, i.e, control, the need to control the space and the people in one's environment. The ability to kill becomes the ultimate power and control over another. Some theories focus on the cultures and subcultures in which violence is prevalent, arguing that violence is a learned behavior. Others attribute it to poverty and the stress occasioned by it. There is little doubt, however, that there is something in the genetic composition of males that make them more prone to behave violently. In America, African-Americans are disproportionately murderers and murder victims. Police officers and researchers note that so many murders in current American society are for trivial reasons, and the murderers apparently have no regret at having killed another person. The United States has the highest gun-to-population ratio in the world and has never seriously attempted to regulate firearms. The homicide rate would almost certainly decline if Americans were deprived of their guns. The country has shown no willingness to pursue this strategy, however. Other suggestions for addressing the high murder rate include hiring more police, targeting gang leaders for prosecution, mobilizing neighborhoods to cooperate with police, extending court hours, creating alternative dispute resolution centers, reducing alcohol abuse, and reducing drug trafficking.