Firearms, violence, and the potential impact of firearms control

Author: Zimring FE
Publication: J Law Med Ethics
Topics: Legislation and Policy Prevention Public Health U.S./National
Keywords: Control Ownership gun gun use user
Bibliographic information +

The author argues that gun control has the potential to save American lives by reducing the use of loaded guns in crimes. He reports that guns account for twice as many homicides as all other means of killing combined. Gunshot wounds inflict more damage than other methods, which explains the increased lethality of guns. Since most homicides are the result of ambiguously motivated assaults (not necessarily aiming at killing the victim), substituting guns with less lethal means would reduce the death rate from assault. Gun control laws attempt to regulate: 1) dangerous uses of guns, 2) dangerous users of guns (e.g. convicted felons), or 3) general ownership of specific types of guns that are too easily misused (e.g. assault rifles). Successful gun control is possible but needs to be well-thought and planned out.