Showing papers on "Gun control published in 1999"

The Law of Group Polarization

Abstract: In a striking empirical regularity, deliberation tends to move groups, and the individuals who compose them, toward a more extreme point in the direction indicated by their own predeliberation judgments. For example, people who are opposed to the minimum wage are likely, after talking to each other, to be still more opposed; people who tend to support gun control are likely, after discussion, to support gun control with considerable enthusiasm; people who believe that global warming is a serious problem are likely, after discussion, to insist on severe measures to prevent global warming. This general phenomenon -- group polarization -- has many implications for economic, political, and legal institutions. It helps to explain extremism, "radicalization," cultural shifts, and the behavior of political parties and religious organizations; it is closely connected to current concerns about the consequences of the Internet; it also helps account for feuds, ethnic antagonism, and tribalism. Group polarization bears on the conduct of government institutions, including juries, legislatures, courts, and regulatory commissions. There are interesting relationships between group polarization and social cascades, both informational and reputational. Normative implications are discussed, with special attention to political and legal institutions.

Gender, gun control, suicide and homicide in Canada

Abstract: An article recently published in the Archives of Suicide Research (Leenaars & Lester, 1996, 2, 223-234) concerning the impact of the 1977 Canadian gun control legislation on the national gender-specific rates of suicide and homicide concluded that “… the bill had a preventative effect only on female suicide and homicide without displacement. There may have been compensatory use in other methods for males in both types of lethal violence” (Abstract). The article states that “the passage of C-51 seems to have a more beneficial impact on female victims than on male victims… Males appear to be less influenced by gun restrictions… Displacement, especially in males in suicide - and homicide - may impede efforts to prevent violence” (1996: 229-232).1 Based on a re-analysis of the data which they present, we must disagree with these statements.

A call to arms: the emergency physician, international perspectives on firearm injury prevention and the canadian gun control debate

Abstract: There are more than seven million firearms in Canada and approximately 1400 firearm-related deaths per year. These figures are far greater than those for most European countries, but far less than those for the United States. This article will discuss the different classes of firearm deaths and the associated costs. Public health issues will be explored, especially as they relate to the involvement of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, as well as injury control recommendations.

Comprehensive bibliography of the Second Amendment in law reviews

Abstract: This article lists articles about the Second Amendment or gun control that have been published in law reviews.

Gun Lobbies and Gun Control: Senate Voting Patterns on the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban

Abstract: This paper uses an econometric model to analyze the political and economic factors affecting the Senate voting patterns on the 1993 Brady Bill and the assault weapons ban. Results of a logit estimation procedure support the hypothesis that the political activities and presence of the National Rifle Association (measured as relative campaign contributions and membership) had a significant impact on the voting patterns by Senators on both bills.

Guns in America : a reader

Abstract: Firearms have long been at the core of our national narratives. From the Puritans' embrace of guns to beat back the "devilish Indian" to our guilty delight in the extralegal exploits of Dirty Harry, Americans have relied on the gun to right wrongs, both real and imagined. The extent to which guns have been woven into our nation's mythology suggests that the current debate is only partly about guns themselves and equally about conflicting cultural values and competing national identities. Belying the gun debate are a host of related issues: contesting conceptions of community, the proper relationship between the individual and the state, and the locus of responsibility for maintaining order. Guns in America documents and analyzes the history of firearms in America, exploring various aspects of gun manufacture, ownership, and use-and more importantly, the cultural and political implications which this history reveals. Eschewing single-minded partisanship and emphasizing nuance and compromise, Jan E. Dizard and Robert Merrill Muth have assembled a diverse array of writings from all points on the ideological spectrum. The documents span the whole of American history, from Puritan sermons to contemporary NRA documents. The result is an indispensable panorama of the never-ending controversies over gun control, crime, hunting, and militias.

All the Way Down the Slippery Slope: Gun Prohibition in England and Some Lessons for Civil Liberties in America

Abstract: Whenever civil liberties issues are contested, proponents of greater restrictions often chide civil liberties defenders for being unwilling to offer moderate concessions. Frequently, persons advocating restrictions on civil liberties claim that the "moderate" restriction will not infringe the core civil liberty. When rights advocates raise the "slippery slope" argument, they are criticized for being excessively fearful. The goal of the article is to refine our understanding of "slippery slopes" by examining a case in which a civil liberty really did slide all the way down the slippery slope. The right to arms in Great Britain was entirely unrestricted at the beginning of the twentieth century; as the century ends, the right is dead, and only a feeble, severely constricted privilege to possess certain "sporting" guns remains. The article examines, step-by step, how Britain moved from a strong, unfettered right to near-total prohibition of that right. While each of Britain's incremental steps towards gun control was, in itself, reasonable, the cumulative effect was to destroy the right gradually. Although the right to arms is the focus of the article, the article also discusses many other civil liberties, and their fate in twentieth century Britain and America. The article concludes that, in light of historical experience, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Rifle Association of America, which vigorously resist even the smallest perceived infringements on constitutional rights, may be acting prudently in the long term, even though their "no concessions" stance may appear unreasonable in the short term.

International traffic in small arms : an Australian perspective

Abstract: Firearms can be important as instruments of crime. In order to regulate the traffic of firearms at an international level, it is necessary to begin by regulating them at both a regional and a national level. This paper highlights international strategies aimed at curbing the proliferation of firearms into Australia. It also examines Australian government initiatives introduced to reduce the number of, and access to, illegal firearms in the community, and consequently firearm-related violence.

Child Access Prevention Laws: A Common Sense Approach to Gun Control

Abstract: Fifteen states have Child Access Prevention or “CAP” laws that make it a crime for a gun owner to store a loaded firearm in a manner in which he knows or reasonably should know a child may gain access to the weapon. This article asserts that CAP laws are a reasonable and feasible way to reduce a variety of gun-related harms. CAP laws do not constitute “gun confiscation” or, as a newspaper editorial asserted, “a cynical attempt to cancel a constitutionally guaranteed right.” Basically, a CAP law says to gun owners: You own a dangerous instrumentality that can be used to instantly end a human life. You must store it in a reasonably safe way. If you fail to do so and a child or other unauthorized user gains possession of it and uses it to inflict harm, you will be held responsible. Although CAP laws are touted primarily as a means of reducing accidental shootings by children, they also can be expected to prevent some intentional third-party shootings and suicides. When guns are securely stored, they cannot be misused by unauthorized users.

Targeting Firearms Violence Through Directed Police Patrol

Abstract: This executive briefing presents the results of a study of a directed police patrol initiative that was intended to reduce firearms crime. The report is particularly timely because of several public policy controversies that have emerged in the late 1990s. The first of these is gun control. In the wake of the Columbine High School murders, the nation has been engaged in a debate over the contentious issue of laws governing firearms sales and possession. Although this is not a study of gun control, the findings of the study should be considered in the public policy debate. The second controversial issue relates to the role of traffic enforcement in crime control. In the wake of high-profile cases such as the Louima and Diallo cases in New York City, and questions about racial profiling in traffic enforcement, the police find themselves under intense scrutiny for alleged targeting and harassment of African-American and other minority citizens. Again, although this research was not intended to focus on the issue of policing and race, the very subject of the investigation places the findings in the middle of these issues. Additionally, this study informs a debate that has emerged given the reduction of crime in the United States during the 1990s. Specifically, to what extent do the police influence the level of crime?

Australian gun controls: Should more be done?

Abstract: Objectives: To examine the basic premises of gun control and the relationship linking legal firearm ownership to homicide and suicide in Australia. Data sources/ Available data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics regarding firearms ownership, study selection: suicide and homicide in Australia were reviewed. Medline database searches using key words of ‘firearms’, ‘homicide, statistics, trends’, ‘suicide, statistics, trends’ and ‘violence, prevention and control, statistics’ identified English language publications relating to violence prevention and/or firearms from 1966 to 1996. These papers were manually searched to identify additional references. Internet home pages of The Coalition for Gun Control, The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, Handgun Control Inc. and The National Rifle Association were reviewed and information that could be independently validated was considered. Results: Few papers approach the subject of violence with the same focus, limiting the ability to perform meta-analysis or direct comparisons of data. Conclusions: Current knowledge is inconclusive, but does not provide strong support for some existing Australian firearm control measures. Evidence suggests that further reducing the levels of firearm ownership in Australia will not cause an overall reduction in rates of homicide or suicide.

Encyclopedia of gun control and gun rights

Abstract: With public perception of gun violence at an all-time high, the "Encyclopedia of Gun Control and Gun Rights" is the perfect resource for any library. Providing 300-plus entries of in-depth coverage (each entry is from 700 to 1,000 words), this encyclopedia is exceptional for its unbiased approach to this controversial issue. Arranged in an A-Z format with numerous cross-references, this encyclopedia is especially easy to use.

Child Access Prevention Laws: A Common Sense Approach to Gun Control

Abstract: Fifteen states have Child Access Prevention or “CAP” laws that make it a crime for a gun owner to store a loaded firearm in a manner in which he knows or reasonably should know a child may gain access to the weapon. This article asserts that CAP laws are a reasonable and feasible way to reduce a variety of gun-related harms. CAP laws do not constitute “gun confiscation” or, as a newspaper editorial asserted, “a cynical attempt to cancel a constitutionally guaranteed right.” Basically, a CAP law says to gun owners: You own a dangerous instrumentality that can be used to instantly end a human life. You must store it in a reasonably safe way. If you fail to do so and a child or other unauthorized user gains possession of it and uses it to inflict harm, you will be held responsible. Although CAP laws are touted primarily as a means of reducing accidental shootings by children, they also can be expected to prevent some intentional third-party shootings and suicides. When guns are securely stored, they cannot be misused by unauthorized users.

Lott's "More Guns" and Other Fallacies Infecting the Gun Control Debate

Abstract: This author analyzes what he considers to be fallacious arguments on both sides of the gun control issue. Analyzing rhetoric from the National Rifle Association, from Handgun Control, and from other sources, the author dissects various fallacies including: failure of each side to acknowledge the strongest arguments against the side's preferred interpretation of the Second Amendment; unsupportable claims about the meaning of the Miller case; and a wide variety of statistical claims about the cause-and-effect relationship of guns and crime.

The Second Amendment in Historical Context

Abstract: A reading of Saul Cornell's essay brings several things to mind. First, there has been a torrential outpouring of writings on Second Amendment issues for quite some years. I initially became aware of this development sometime in the mid-1980s, but I only sensed that it was about to reach flood-tide proportions with a 1989 issue of the Dayton Law Review. It would be interesting to know just how many pieces in law reviews alone, to say nothing of books and op-ed newspaper pieces, have appeared in the last decade. Certainly part of the explanation for what has taken place has to do with hotly debated gun control issues. Even so, the reasons why passions run so high among academics is itself puzzling, especially in view of the fact that the United States Supreme Court has handed down only three direct opinions on the Second Amendment, the last one coming in 1939. Only the Third Amendment, forbidding the billeting of soldiers in private homes, has had less judicial attention than the Second. In any event, it is easier to fathom the motivations of the National Rifle Association and Brady legislation supporters than it is the dozens of those who reside in the halls of ivy. To further complicate matters, one finds both liberals and conservatives on each side of the debate.

Issues for debate in American public policy : selections from The CQ researcher

Abstract: This text is a collection of 16 of the best editions of American political journal, The CQ Researcher The book is organized by topic and includes important controversial issues of the day, such as drug testing, gun control, patients' rights and the high-tech labour shortage

Gun control and the Old West

Abstract: You might have thought those Old West pioneers celebrated their love affair with their firearms. Not exactly.

Firearms Licensing: Facts in Danger of Neglect

Abstract: The paper reports analysis of routine firearms statistics, whose importance is judged to have been neglected in the Cullen Inquiry2 into the disaster at Dunblane. It is shown that revocations and refusals of firearms licences and shotgun certificates rose after the Hungerford tragedy, fell thereafter, and only increased again after Dunblane. There was wide variation in the rate of revocation and refusal by police force area, which clearly stemmed from force practice rather than from the presenting situation. The predictability of regulation practice undertaken declines over time as staff and priorities change. Thus departmental stringency in regulation relative to other police forces will disappear over a period of 3–7 years. While the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 makes major changes in handgun availability, it makes only minor changes to firearms regulation, which remains the major protection against criminal use of the lethal weapons which are still legally held by citizens. Suggestions are made in the paper for making that regulation more stringent and more consistent.