Federal Legislation and Gun Markets: How Much Have Recent Reforms of the Federal Firearms Licensing System Reduced Criminal Gun Suppliers

Author: Koper, Christopher S.
Publication: Criminology & Public Policy
Topics: Criminology Legislation and Policy Supply U.S./National
Keywords: Crime Prevention Federal legislation Weapons guns
Bibliographic information +

The author evaluates the impact of the 1993 and 1994 federal legislation which established new fees and application criteria for federal firearm licensees (FFLs) and the increased regulation of the gun market, by examining the role of recently retired FFLs in supplying criminal markets both in absolute terms and relative to FFLs who remained in business after the reform. The author found that nearly 70% of 1994 FFLs went out of business by 1998; those dealers supplied a third of guns that were traced by police but were linked to fewer guns that were used in crimes than other dealers. The author suggests that the impact of the reforms was more modest than suggested by the number of retired FFLs.