Here is an interesting article presenting both sides of this debate in the US from an online library.  It discusses the 2nd Amendment, court rulings & other issues.

http://www.awesomelibrary.org/guncontrol.html

One of the editor's conclusion regarding the effectiveness of gun control legislation around the world is this statement:  "The NRA position that restricting access to guns causes more crime (because then only criminals will have guns), is not supported by evidence at a national level.   In countries where guns are greatly restricted, such as Great Britain or Japan, deaths from guns are very rare, especially compared to the United States. In fact, the USA is a world leader in the rate of homicides from guns."