GUN CONTROL

Gun Control



Gun Control

Introduction

Few public policy debates have been as dominated by emotion and misinformation as the one on gun control. Perhaps this debate is so highly charged because it involves such fundamental issues. The calls for more gun restrictions or for bans on some or all guns are calls for significant change in our social and constitutional systems. Gun control is based on the faulty notion that ordinary American citizens are too clumsy and ill-tempered to be trusted with weapons. (Lunde? 1976? 1) Only through the blatant abrogation of explicit constitutional rights is gun control even possible. It must be enforced with such violations of individual rights as intrusive search and seizure. It most severely victimizes those who most need weapons for self-defense? such as blacks and women. (State's Gun Law? 1982? 1) The various gun control proposals on today's agenda-- including licensing? waiting periods? and bans on so-called Saturday night specials--are of little? if any? value as crime-fighting measures. Banning guns to reduce crime makes as much sense as banning alcohol to reduce drunk driving. Indeed? persuasive evidence shows that civilian gun ownership can be a powerful deterrent to crime.

Guns as a Cause of Crime

Gun control advocates--those who favor additional legal restrictions on the availability of guns or who want to outlaw certain types of guns--argue that the more guns there are? the more crime there will be. As a Detroit narcotics officer put it? "Drugs are X; the number of guns in our society is Y; the number of kids in possession of drugs is Z. X plus Y plus Z equals an increase in murders." But there is no simple statistical correlation between gun ownership and homicide or other violent crimes. In the first 30 years of this century? U.S. per capita handgun ownership remained stable? but the homicide rate rose tenfold. Subsequently? between 1937 and 1963? handgun ownership rose by 250 percent? but the homicide rate fell by 35.7 percent. (Lunde? 1976? 1)

Switzerland? through its militia system? distributes both pistols and fully automatic assault rifles to all adult males and requires them to store their weapons at home. Further? civilian long-gun purchases are essentially unregulated? and handguns are available to any adult without a criminal record or mental defect. Nevertheless? Switzerland suffers far less crime per capita than the United States and almost no gun crime. (Lunde? 1976? 1) Allowing for important differences between Switzerland and the United States? it seems clear that there is no direct link between the level of citizen gun ownership and the level of gun misuse. Instead of simplistically assuming that the fewer guns there are? the safer society will be? one should analyze the particular costs and benefits of gun ownership and gun control and consider which groups gain and lose from particular policies.

Guns as a Tool against Crime

Several years ago the National Institute of Justice offered a grant to the former president of the American Sociological Association to survey the field of research on gun ...