How the Gun Control Act of 1968 Changed America’s Approach to Firearms

This week marks 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Gun Control Act of 1968 into law on Oct. 22 of that year. It was the first major gun control measure in the United States in 30 years, but its passage earned this dismissive take in the pages of TIME: "better than nothing."

"Forget the democratic processes, the judicial system and the talent for organization that have long been the distinctive marks of the U.S.