NCJ Number
150116
Journal
Journal of the American Medical Association Volume: 271 Issue: 16 Dated: (April 27, 1994) Pages: 63-76
Date Published
1994
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Firearm violence has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and represents a public health emergency since it accounts for 20 percent of all injury deaths and is second only to motor vehicle accidents as a cause of fatal injury.
Abstract
Firearm violence cost an estimated $19 billion in 1990, in addition to direct health care costs, and such violence disproportionately affects young people. In particular, homicide is the leading cause of death for young black men between 15 and 34 years of age and the second overall leading cause of death for individuals between 15 and 24 years of age. Suicide rates for both children and adolescents have more than doubled over the past 30 years, due primarily to increased firearms use. Gun control laws, such as the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, are useful but will not totally prevent the use of guns by criminals and others who are legally prohibited from owning guns. The following more stringent gun control measures should be considered: implementing a national licensing system for firearms possession; limiting the manufacture, sale, and distribution of military-style assault weapons; increasing taxes on firearms and ammunition; tightening Federal licensing requirements for gun dealers; limiting the number of guns an individual can buy; implementing a gun return program; implementing a firearm fatality and injury reporting system; and educating the public about the dangers of guns. Newspaper clippings are included that reflect the effects of firearm violence and the debate over gun control. 15 references