The objective of this article is to review what research we do have, what research we do not have, and how we can use what research we do have to reduce gun violence. It is also suggested how we can use new legislation to do more of the research we desperately need. For while we can conduct many experiments in enforcement strategies without new legislation, we cannot adequately test most legislative proposals without actually passing legislation. In cybernetic terms, it is `smart’ policy to treat new legislation as experiments, and to design it in ways that will optimize our ability to learn from each new law.