NCJ Number
220813
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2007 Pages: 451-465
Date Published
December 2007
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study revises the current knowledge of the effects two of the most common gun interventions, the Brady Law and “right to carry” (RTC) laws, may exert on gun homicide rates and total homicide rates.
Abstract
The Brady Law is found to exert a slight but statistically significant effect on both outcomes whereas “right to carry” (RTC) laws fail to exert statistically significant deterrent effects on either outcome, gun homicide rates or total homicide rates, and both results provisionally contradict earlier gun-policy outcome research. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina saw a sharp spike in gun-violence, which necessarily re-focused criminological research on the persistent question of how best to prevent gun-related violence. However, a review by a National Academy of Science Research Council strongly suggests that previous research evaluating gun policy outcomes may be unacceptably flawed methodologically, casting significant doubt on the validity of the results. The research in this study adjusts for those flaws to revise the current knowledge of the effects two common gun interventions, the Brady Law and RTC laws might exert on both gun homicide rates and total homicide rates. Tables, references