The manufacture and sale of guns continue to be issues of social responsibility. Although the issues surrounding guns are complex, they are emotionally charged. Over the years, there have been a variety of approaches taken to control the production, distribution, and sale of guns. As these efforts are undertaken through legislative, regulatory, and judicial bodies, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has proven to have a formidable presence in the public and legislative debates and a continuing presence in litigation on laws and rules and their constitutionality under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on the "right to keep and bear arms."

At one point, one of the principal targets of anti-gun activists was the so-called Saturday Night Special, a gun that costs about \\($13\) to make and then retails for between \(\$ 59\) and \(\$ 70\). The gun has a long history that traces back to the Jennings family of California, a family that focused on the successful sales of handguns.
Three gun manufacturers in California evolved from the Jennings family. George Jennings founded Raven Arms, Inc., in 1970 and made the Raven .25. George's son, Bruce Jennings, left Raven in 1978 to form Jennings Firearms, Inc., which manufactures another Saturday Night Special, the Jennings . 22 , which costs \(\$ 13\) to make and retails for \(\$ 75\) to \(\$ 89\)....................................

Discussion Questions 1. Are gun manufacturers and gun dealers legally and/ or ethically responsible for a crime committed by someone to whom they sold a gun?
2. If you were a retailer, would you sell guns? If no retailers sell guns, have consumers lost a fundamental constitutional right?
3. How does the Second Amendment fit into the ethical issues in gun sales and ownership?
4. Consider the following analysis by Professors Christine Westphal and Susan Wheeler about the Smith \& Wesson experience, and then evaluate the stakeholder versus shareholder debate in that scenario:
A number of editorial writers have characterized Smith \& Wesson's agreement with the government as an ethical decision that was not necessarily good business, and certainly there is some justification for that position. The agreement might also be seen as a conflict among stakeholders where Smith \& Wesson betrayed its customers in order to satisfy the demands of its financiers and community. \({ }^{70}\) Did Smith \& Wesson betray its employees too? Did Smith \& Wesson violate trust for selfish ends, as the National Shooting Sports Foundation said?
5. Explain the issues in the ongoing debate related to gun regulation and the Second Amendment. Discuss the stakeholders in this ongoing question of rights versus limitations.