Gun control

About: Gun control is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1211 publications have been published within this topic receiving 16516 citations. The topic is also known as: firearms control & gun law.

A reassessment of the D.C. gun law : Some cautionary notes on the use of interrupted time series designs for policy impact assessment

Abstract: Interrupted time series designs are commonly used to assess the impact of gun control legislation, as well as other legal and policy changes. Three common problems in the use of these designs — (1) selection of an appropriate control series, (2) specification of the intervention model, and (S) specification of the time series studied — raise questions about the validity of the conclusions reached in research on the impact of gun control. We illustrate these problems with a critical reassessment of Lofrin et al.'s (1991) evaluation of the 1976 District of Columbia Gun Law. We then use monthly homicide data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Center for Health Statistics to illustrate how careful consideration of these three design issues results in a significantly different conclusion about the effectiveness of the District of Columbia Gun Law. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3053963

Effects of Limiting Handgun Purchases on Interstate Transfer of Firearms

Abstract: Objective. —To determine the effect of limiting handgun purchases to 1 per month on the illegal movement of firearms across state lines. Design. —Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms firearms trace database were obtained for traces requested for firearms recovered in connection with criminal investigations. The analysis incorporates data on date and location of purchase for 14606 firearms purchased prior to (September 1989 through June 1993) and after (July 1993 through March 1995) enactment of a Virginia law limiting handgun purchases to 1 per month. Main Outcome Measures. —Odds of tracing a firearm acquired prior to implementation of the law to Virginia vs another state in the Southeast compared with the odds for firearms acquired after the law took effect. Results. —For firearms recovered anywhere in the United States, 3201 (27%) of 11 876 acquired prior to the implementation of the law and 519 (19%) of 2730 purchased after the law was enacted were traced to Virginia (odds ratio [OR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.71). For traces initiated in the northeast corridor (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts), 1103 (34.8%) of 3169 of the firearms acquired before the 1-gun-a-month law took effect and 142 (15.5%) of 919 firearms purchased after implementation were traced to Virginia (OR, 0.34; CI, 0.28-0.41). Conclusion. —Gun control policies involving licensing, registration, and restricting the number of purchases represent efforts to limit the supply of guns available in the illegal market. This study provides evidence that restricting handgun purchases to 1 per month is an effective means of disrupting the illegal interstate transfer of firearms. ( JAMA . 1996;275:1759-1761)

PACs, lobbies and political conflict: The case of gun control

Abstract: Previous research has shown that PAC contributions from the National Rifle Association as well as letters and lobbying by Handgun Control, Inc. significantly affected Congressional voting on the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986, holding constant ideology, party, constituency characteristics, and a proxy for prior position on the issue. Using data from that study, this paper shows that contributions have a somewhat different effect than lobbying. Contributions from NRA were primarily targeted at NRA supporters and had the net effect of making the progunners even more so. Contributions from Handgun Control, while they did not significantly reinforce the proclivities of the gun controllers, were directed only at that group. At least in this case, money appears to exacerbate conflict. By contrast, the police lobby directed its attention at both gun controllers and pro-gunners; the lobby effectively induced pro-gunners to moderate their position.

The Effectiveness of Policies and Programs That Attempt to Reduce Firearm Violence: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract: In response to rising rates of firearms violence that peaked in the mid-1990s, a wide range of policy interventions have been developed in an attempt to reduce violent crimes committed with firearms Although some of these approaches appear to be effective at reducing gun violence, methodological variations make comparing effects across program evaluations difficult Accordingly, in this article, the authors use meta-analytic techniques to determine what works in reducing gun violence The results indicate that comprehensive community-based law enforcement initiatives have performed the best at reducing gun violence

Gun control law (Bill C-17), suicide, and homicide in Canada.

Abstract: Canadian Bill C-17 was implemented in 1991 to restrict the use of firearms, providing a chance to investigate the effect of firearm control laws in the use of firearms for suicide and homicide. Following Lester and Leenaars' comprehensive studies, the present study examined the use of firearms for suicide and homicide during the period prior to the bill and during the period after the passing of Bill C-17 to assess the association of the bill with rates of suicide and homicide by method. Analysis showed a significant decrease after passage of Bill C-17 in the rates of suicides and homicides involving firearms and the percentage of suicides using firearms. The analysis provides support for the position that restricting the availability of firearms as a lethal means of committing suicide and homicide may help reduce the numbers of suicides and homicides.