Handguns in the Twenty-First Century (From Gun Control Debate, P 177-186, 1990, Lee Nisbet, ed. -- See NCJ-127634)

• NCJ Number: 127642
• Author(s): F E Zimring
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 10 pages
• Sale Source: Prometheus Books
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This document provides examinations of two alternative future national handgun policies.

Abstract

The first policy, "historically" derived, is a complex amalgam of Federal, State, and local regulations characterized by Federal minimum standards of accountability and eligibility for purchase and by wide variation among states and localities in imposing supplemental restrictions on possession and sale of handguns. The second, designed to "fit" with other anticipated future developments, projects much more restrictive Federal control on eligibility for handgun ownership. The most important element of future policy is not the crime rate, but social notions of appropriate crime countermeasures. A second influence on attitudes towards handguns in the home is public perceptions about the costs of weapon ownership within the household and in the wider community. The early indications of a turning point in attitudes toward handguns will be more a function of attitude than hard data trends in crime rates or aggregate gun ownership. 15 notes