Why Ronald Reagan enthusiastically signed America's first real gun control law

A lifelong member of the NRA, Reagan might be the most consequential president for gun control legislation in the past century

Ronald Reagan, 1981.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Michael Evans/White House)

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.