The factors that lead to gun violence are complex and multifaceted. Over the past decade, there have been a number of high-profile instances of gun violence in the United States and a passionate debate about Second Amendment rights versus public safety. This symposium touches on key factors in this debate by first reviewing the empirical research on policy interventions designed to mitigate gun violence. The impact of mental illness on gun use, including domestic violence and suicide, will then be reviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of public policy initiatives. Technological and biometric methods of limiting gun use to legal gun owners will be reviewed, along with the political ramifications of such methods. Finally, the economics of the gun market will be reviewed, with a focus on illegal transfer of gun ownership and the methods available to mitigate such illegal transfers. Of particular relevance to illegal gun transfers are a variety of studies that have implications for gun access by non-authorized users and the burden that such access places on law enforcement officials. This symposium covers the range of issues that impact the use of guns in the U.S. and other countries, and provides a comprehensive assessment of how psychological, economic, political, technological, and public policy factors affect violence in society.