NCJ Number
183151
Date Published
2000
Length
13 pages
Annotation
No cross-national comparative examination of the application and efficacy of firearm regulation can proceed without some comparative measure (a typology or classification) of regulatory systems; this paper constructs just such a comparative measure by examining the composition of a firearm regulatory system itself.
Abstract
The paper begins by briefly discussing the history and methodology of the United Nations International Study on Firearm Regulation. Next, the authors construct a model that illustrates the composition of a firearm regulatory system, from which they derive a potential instrument for the classification of regulatory systems. The paper then expands the conceptual framework to the international arena by making use of some of the information obtained in the United Nations Study to begin to classify countries. The authors advise that although a regulatory system may reduce rates of firearm harm and misuse, country-specific factors not influenced by the regulatory system may also affect rates of firearm harm and misuse. These could include such economic, social, and political factors as income, education, unemployment, population density, percent of the population that is young and male, bellicosity, cultural and historical attitudes toward firearms, cultural and historical attitudes toward punishment, the presence of civil unrest, and the proximity of a country to sources of illegal firearms. The study concludes with recommendations for future research in this area. 9 notes and 9 references