NCJ Number
204872
Date Published
January 2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Data on firearm injury and death in Maryland address the number and distribution of firearm injuries and deaths in 2001, the sources of guns, and the effects of gun laws.
Abstract
In 2001, there were 607 gun-related deaths in Maryland. Of these deaths, 363 were homicides, 220 suicides, 5 shootings of undetermined intent, and 9 categorized as "legal intervention." There were 10 unintentional gun deaths reported in 2001. Following an 88-percent increase in the State's gun homicide rate between 1985 and 1993, firearm death rates in Maryland declined 30 percent between 1993 and 2001, a rate of 11.3 percent per 100,000 in 2001. In 2001-2002, there were 1,482 federally licensed firearm dealers (FFL's) in Maryland. FFL's were the largest original source of traced guns used in Baltimore crimes in 2000, accounting for 62 percent. In 2000, 26 percent of Baltimore crime guns traced were purchased less than 3 years before being used in a crime, and 11 percent were purchased within 1 year. This short "time to crime" is an indicator for illicit gun sales of new guns for criminal purposes. In 2000, 9 out of 10 Baltimore crime guns traced changed ownership at least once from the time of purchase by the original possessor to the time of the crime. A 1988 law that banned the sale of "Saturday nigh special" handguns in Maryland was associated with a reduced use of these guns by criminals and a 9-percent decrease in firearm homicide in the State between 1990 and 1998 than would have been expected had there been no law. Maryland requires new handgun registration but does not license handgun owners. States that require both mandatory licensing of handgun owners and registration of handguns make it more difficult for criminals and juveniles to obtain guns from within the State; however, there is no significant effect of having only licensing or only registration on the source State of crime guns. 14 notes