Stolen gun control

Author: Helsley, R. W. / O'Sullivan, A.
Publication: Journal of Urban Economics
Topics: Crime, Legislation and Policy, Ownership
Keywords: Crime Prevention EQUILIBRIUM GUN control Household firearms firearms and crime
Bibliographic information +

Using data about guns stolen in the United States (567,000 each year with 90% taken from private homes) and citing that up to 70% of the guns used in crimes are stolen, the authors contend that “gun control policies should focus on stolen guns.” They propose a deposit on each gun purchase that would be lost should the owner no longer have the gun after a certain period of time but that would be refunded should the owner choose to resell the gun legally.