NCJ Number
127638
Date Published
1990
Length
15 pages
Annotation
A compelling case for "stricter gun control" cannot be made, at least on empirical grounds. While there are some 20,000 firearms regulations now on the books in the U.S., none of the laws so far enacted has significantly reduced the rate of criminal violence.
Abstract
No matter what laws are enacted, they will be obeyed only by the law-abiding. The total number of homicides occurring in the U.S. in recent years has been right around 20,000. Of these, approximately 60 percent are committed with firearms. For the average criminal, a firearm is an income-producing tool with a consequent value that is several times its initial cost. However, the idea that the Saturday Night Special is the criminal's gun of choice is wrong. A felon survey showed that serious criminals both prefer to carry and actually do carry relatively large, well-made handguns. Most serious felons look on the Saturday Night Special with considerable contempt. The arguments in favor of "stricter gun control" fail nearly every empirical test, however, the "failure" is simply that the appropriate research is not available.