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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon

Time: 8:05 pm

Results for guns

121 results found

Author: Rand, Kristen

Title: Law Enforcement and Private Citizens Killed by Concealed Handgun Permit Holders: An Analysis of News Reports, May 2007 to April 2009

Summary: This report is divided into three sections that address: law enforcement shootings incidents involving concealed handgun permit holders by state; private citizen shooting incidents involving concealed handgun permit holders by state; and summaries of prior research conducted by the Violence Policy Center, news organizations, and the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences that the author argues refutes the "false promises" made by the gun lobby in support of "lax" concealed handgun laws.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2009

Source:

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 116538

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Association of Chief Police Officers

Title: Gun Crime and Gangs: Response to the Home Secretary

Summary: In August 2007 the U.K. Home Secretary requested a situation report following a number of gun-related tragedies. The ACPO responded with an assessment on the phenomenon of guns and gangs, with particular reference to young people. This document defines and examines the key issues emerging from knowledge of the problem and invites further consideration for what more may be done across government and law enforcement to address the issues described.

Details: London: ACPO, 2007. 57p.

Source:

Year: 2007

Country: United Kingdom

URL:

Shelf Number: 118104

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Gangs
Gun Control
Guns

Author: Silvestri, Arianna

Title: Young People, Knives and Guns: A Comprehensive Review, Analysis and Critique of Gun and Knife Crime Strategies

Summary: This report is the outcome of an extensive review of international (English language) evidence about the effectiveness of interventions aimed at tackling young people's involvement in 'gun' or 'knife crime'. Such issues are currently at the forefront of public attention and a number of 'anti-knives' and 'anti-guns' initiatives are taking place in this country. The purpose of our research was to find out which strategies had been submitted to rigorous analysis and assessment, and what evidence was consequently produced about their impact on young people's perceptions, attitudes and behaviour. Studies published between 1998 (or earlier) and 2008 are covered. Our review also examines the research evidence about what factors in young people�s lives make them more or less likely to get involved in weapon carrying and violent behaviour, and about the perceptions, values and motivations of the young people involved. Additionally, we have outlined some of the interventions which have been rigorously assessed in the field of juvenile violence prevention generally: we think these provide useful contextual knowledge, as weapon use is a form of violent behaviour and cannot be understood in isolation.

Details: London: Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, 2009. 106p.

Source: Accessed February 19, 2019 at: https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/sites/crimeandjustice.org.uk/files/YP%20knives%20and%20guns.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/sites/crimeandjustice.org.uk/files/YP%20knives%20and%20guns.pdf

Shelf Number: 114820

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Guns
Knife Crime
Knives
Youth and Violence

Author: Mthembu-Salter, Gregory

Title: Trading Life, Trading Death: The Flow of Small Arms from Mozanbique to Malawi

Summary: In a region apparently awash with weapons and plagued with rising levels of armed crime, Malawi is a welcome exception to these characteristics. In early 2007 there were only 9,320 legally registered firearms in Malawi excluding those used by the security forces, compared to just under 87,000 in Zambia and nearly 4 million in South Africa. Though a country of an estimated 13 million people, in the 5 years between 1996 and 2000 Malawi suffered just 2,161 reported cases of armed robbery. In neighbouring Zambia, for example, where there is a population of only 10 million people, there were 3,168 recorded cases of armed robbery in the 5 years between 1998 and 2002.

Details: Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2009. 36p.

Source: Working Paper 6

Year: 2009

Country: Africa

URL:

Shelf Number: 115395

Keywords:
Armed Robbery
Firearms and Crime
Guns

Author: Sugarmann, Josh

Title: Youth Gang Violence and Guns: Data Collection in California

Summary: This study offers an overview of California databases containing gun and/or gang information - from the California Department of Justice, to California's Violent Death Reporting System, to local law enforcement agencies - to ascertain the type of information being collected regarding youth gang violence and firearms, how it is being collected and any inconsistencies that may exist, and to what degree it is accessible to aid in answering the many questions surrounding the issue of young gang violence and firearms.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2009. 57p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2018 at: http://www.vpc.org/studies/CAgang.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vpc.org/studies/CAgang.pdf

Shelf Number: 117119

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Gang Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Youth Gangs (California)

Author: Gewirtz, Marian

Title: Juvenile Offenders with Weapon Charges

Summary: This report explores the role weapons play in the picture of juvenile offenders processed in the adult courts in New York City. In accordance with New York State's Juvenile Offender Law, cases for 14- and 15-year old youths charged with selected serious felony offenses, and 13-year olds charged with second degree murder, are brought directly to the adult rather than the juvenile court for prosecution. This study compares juveniles with gun charges to those with other weapon charges and to those without weapon charges. The research addresses how these charges affect rates of re-arrest and length of time to first re-arrest and to the first violence re-arrest.

Details: New York: New York City Criminal Justice Agency, Inc., 2008. 47p.

Source:

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 113049

Keywords:
Guns
Juvenile Offenders (New York City)
Recidivism, Juvenile Offenders
Violent Crime
Weapons

Author: Ehrlich, Isaac

Title: Taxing Guns vs. Taxing Crime: An Application of the "Market for Offenses Model"

Summary: The interaction between offenders and potential victims has so far received relatively little attention in the literature on the economics of crime. The main objective of this paper is twofold: to extend the "market for offenses model" to deal with both product and factor markets, and to apply it to the case where guns are used for crime commission by offenders and for self-protection by potential victims. This analysis offers new insights about the association between crime and guns and the limits it imposes on the efficacy of law enforcement and regulatory policies aimed to control both crime and guns.

Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2010. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource; NBER Working Paper Series; Working Paper 16009

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 118566

Keywords:
Crime Control
Economics of Crime
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Loomis, Dana

Title: Preventing Gun Violence in the Workplace

Summary: This report addresses the problem of gun violence in the workplace and strategies to prevent it. It begins with a description of the broad problem of workplace violence and then discusses factors contributing to gun violence in the workplace, responses to the problem, challenges to those responses, and research on the effectiveness of various responses. Finally, specific actions are recommended along with a summary of future research needs.

Details: Alexandria, VA: ASIS International Foundation, 2008. 34p.

Source: CRISP Report: Connecting Research in Security to Practice

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 113034

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Workplace Crime
Workplace Violence

Author: Benton, Nic

Title: Trap Guns in Sri Lanka

Summary: In Sri Lanka, the use of home-made weapons known as trap guns for crop protection and poaching is a significant cause of insecurity, indiscriminately threatening human life and development. This publication highlights the human, economic and environment impacts of trap gun use, the weak enforcement of laws controlling these illicit small arms, and calls for a co-ordinated solution to the trap gun problem.

Details: London: Saferworld, 2008. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2008

Country: Sri Lanka

URL:

Shelf Number: 118676

Keywords:
Guns
Poaching
Violence
Weapons (Sri Lanka)

Author: Dreyfus, Pablo

Title: Small Arms in Rio de Janeiro: The Guns, the Buyback, and the Victims

Summary: This report presents three separate studies regarding a gun buyback program in Rio de Janeiro: Do voluntary small arms collections reduce violence? Do they work in isolation, or do they have to be combined with other control measures? The first study attempts to answer these questions by analysing the impact in the state of Rio de Janeiro of a national small arms buyback campaign that took place from July 2004 to October 2005. The study concludes that in Rio de Janeiro, small arms voluntary collection campaigns do indeed reduce armed violence, as long as they are not implemented in isolation; they must be combined with other preventative measures. The second study analyses the volume, price and symbolic value of small arms in the criminal market in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the study finds that 928,621 small arms circulate in the so-called Marvellous City, of which 159,723 are used in crime. The third study looks at demand for small arms in Rio de Janeiro and asks whether the characteristics of the city are unique, in particular in its impoverished peripheral areas where armed violence is most acute.

Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2008. 147p.

Source: Internet Resource; Special Report by Small Arms Survey, Viva Rio, and ISER

Year: 2008

Country: Brazil

URL:

Shelf Number: 114582

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Gun Buyback Programs
Gun Violence
Guns
Illicit Markets
Weapons

Author: Diaz, Tom

Title: Big Boomers: Rifle Power Designed Into Handguns

Summary: This report examines the growing threat to law enforcement officers by the use of powerful new handguns called "big boomers" by the gun industry. The rounds fired from these guns can penetrate all but the most resistant body armor. The study traces the proliferation of various big boomers and the gun industry's increased marketing of vest-buster handguns following the 2003 introduction of the first vest buster: the Model 500 S&W Magnum from Smith & Wesson.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2008. 36p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 118715

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Weapons

Author: Moffatt, Luke

Title: Crime Mapping Project: Project Safe Neighborhoods Hawaii

Summary: Project Safe Neighborhoods is a partnership program designed to reduce firearm-related crime. This report presents the offender dataset and crime mapping used in the implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods in Hawaii. The report presents 37 maps constructed to show the location of offenses targeted in the program.

Details: Honolulu: Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division, 2005. 56p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2005

Country: United States

URL:

Shelf Number: 119134

Keywords:
Crime Mapping
Firearms and Crime
Gun Violence
Guns
Illicit Firearms
Project Safe Neighborhoods (Hawaii)

Author: Attree, Larry

Title: SASP Test of North East Serbia: Evaluation Report

Summary: The initial idea for the project was to implement a targeted SALW Awareness campaign around the town of Zrenjanin in North East Serbia. As well as aiming to have a positive effect on the attitudes of local people towards firearms possession and safety, the project was designed as a test for the principles of the SEESAC SALW Awareness Support Pack (SASP) in a project with limited resources at its disposal. The project also offered a local NGO, European Movement Zrenjanin, the opportunity to build capacities in carrying out an awareness campaign following the principles of SASP. The effects of SALW on the local area were made clear by a phase of initial information gathering. European Movement gathered the information from the local police department, a local hospital and the courts. Where information was confidential or not systematically collated to provide figures specifically useful to the campaign, informal methods were used to allow the initial profile of the problem to be as detailed as possible. The initial assessment identified a significant number of local casualties and criminal prosecutions related to the problems of weapons in local society.

Details: Belgrade: SEESAC (South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons), 2005. 71p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2005

Country: Serbia and Montenegro

URL:

Shelf Number: 118681

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Gun Violence
Guns
Violence
Weapons

Author: Florquin, Nicolas

Title: "A House Isn't A Home Without A Gun": SALW Survey, Republic of Montenegro

Summary: The uncontrolled proliferation and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW) is a serious problem in South Eastern Europe. SALW proliferation has fuelled crime and insecurity, exacerbating conflict in the region and undermining post conflict peace-building. Problems related to SALW are likely to pose a serious constraint to economic and social development in South Eastern Europe. This SALW Survey examines the small arms situation in the Republic of Montenegro and seeks to shed light on the specifics surrounding a number of issues, including: firearms possession by both civilians and the government, the quantifiable impacts of weapons on Montenegro, perceptions about weapons in society, and the potential capacity of the government for future SALW control and weapon collection programmes. This study, commissioned by the UNDP and SEESAC, is designed particularly to inform a proposed SALW Control program to occur in Montenegro in 2004 and thus, provides a background for assessing the feasibility of collecting weapons in Montenegro.

Details: Belgrade: SEESAC (South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons; Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2004. 53p.

Source: Internet Resource

Year: 2004

Country: Serbia and Montenegro

URL:

Shelf Number: 119427

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Guns
Trafficking in Firearms
Weapons

Author: Radtke, Timothy

Title: Operation Ceasefire in Clark County, Nevada: Evaluating a Cross-Jurisdictional Approach to Reducing Gun Violence

Summary: This technical report contains information presented to stakeholders associated with Las Vegas’s Safe Village Initiative, which began in January 2007, in response to firearm violence in Clark County, Nevada. SVI was designed after Operation Ceasefire models developed in Boston, Chicago, and Newark (NJ). Las Vegas’s SVI represents an effort to combine the resources of criminal justice agencies, social service organizations, local clergy, and citizens to disrupt the cycle of violence that characterizes both fatal and non-fatal shootings. An evaluation of SVI’s impact on reducing violence in targeted communities, supported by Federal funding (2007-30243-NV-BJ), suggests that it is an effective community-oriented policing strategy. Highlights of the SVI evaluation include: 1) There was 37% reduction in targeted calls-for-service in the study area after the implementation of the SVI; 2) The overall decline in calls-for-service was attributed to a 32% decline in calls-for-service involving persons with a gun, a 42% reduction in calls-for-service involving an assault/battery with a gun, and a 46% reduction in calls-for-service involving an illegal shooting; 3) A slight decline was observed in the average monthly number of gunshot and stabbing patients admitted to UMC-Trauma Unit from the study area after the implementation of the SVI; and 4) Important qualitative differences were measured in the SVI that may explain why outcomes of this program differed from similar programs implemented in other communities throughout the country.

Details: Las Vegas, NV: Center for the Analysis of Crime Statistics, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Nevada, 2008. 38p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 23, 2010 at: http://www.unlv.edu/centers/crimestats/pdf/OCF.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL: http://www.unlv.edu/centers/crimestats/pdf/OCF.pdf

Shelf Number: 119668

Keywords:
Gang Violence
Gun Violence (Nevada)
Guns
Violent Crime

Author: Wintemute, Garen

Title: Inside Gun Shows: What Goes on When Everybody Thinks Nobody's Looking

Summary: Gun shows are surrounded by controversy. On the one hand, they are important economic, social and cultural events with clear benefits for those who attend. On the other, they provide the most visible manifestation of a largely unregulated form of gun commerce and, partly for that reason, are an important source of guns used in criminal violence. The intent of this report is to document the broad range of what actually takes place at gun shows, with an emphasis on activities that appear to pose problems for the public’s health and safety. Inside Gun Shows combines a review of existing research with direct observations and photographic evidence. The data were gathered at 78 gun shows in 19 states, most of them occurring between 2005 and 2008. It was important to avoid a Hawthorne effect: change in what is being observed introduced by the process of observation itself. For that reason conversation was kept to a minimum; no attempts were made to induce the behaviors that are depicted; criminal activity, when observed, was not reported; the camera was kept hidden.

Details: Sacramento: Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, 2009. various pagings

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 24, 2010 at: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/vprp/pdf/IGS/IGScoverprefweb.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/vprp/pdf/IGS/IGScoverprefweb.pdf

Shelf Number: 116201

Keywords:
Gun Control
Guns
Weapons

Author: Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Title: A Blueprint for Federal Action on Illegal Guns: Regulation, Enforcement, and Best Practices to Combat Illegal Gun Trafficking

Summary: For many years, leaders of the gun lobby have urged law enforcement professionals to “enforce the laws on the books.” Elected officials of all political stripes have joined that call. While the 450-plus members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns believe that Congress needs to close major gaps in federal laws, we believe with equal strength that the executive branch needs to more effectively enforce existing gun laws. The coalition has identified 40 opportunities in six areas where the Administration could enhance enforcement of existing laws without Congressional action. These recommendations would dramatically improve law enforcement’s ability to keep guns out of the hands of criminals – and, in doing so, save innocent lives, including the lives of police officers.

Details: S.L.: 2009. 57p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 2, 2010 at: http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/blueprint_federal_action.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/blueprint_federal_action.pdf

Shelf Number: 117623

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Trafficking
Guns
Illegal Guns

Author:

Title: Illicit Arms in Indonesia

Summary: A bloody bank robbery in Medan in August 2010 and the discovery in Aceh in February 2010 of a terrorist training camp using old police weapons have focused public attention on the circulation of illegal arms in Indonesia. These incidents raise questions about how firearms fall into criminal hands and what measures are in place to stop them. The issue has become more urgent as the small groups of Indonesian jihadis, concerned about Muslim casualties in bomb attacks, are starting to discuss targeted killings as a preferred method of operation. The Indonesian government could begin to address the problem by reviewing and strengthening compliance with procedures for storage, inventory and disposal of firearms; improved vetting and monitoring of those guarding armouries; auditing of gun importers and gun shops, including those that sell weapons online; and paying more attention to the growing popularity of “airsoft” guns that look exactly like real ones but shoot plastic pellets. The problem needs to be kept in perspective, however. It is worth addressing precisely because the scale is manageable. Indonesia does not have a “gun culture” like the Philippines or Thailand. The number of people killed by terrorist gunfire in Indonesia over the last decade is about twenty, more than half of them police, and most of the deaths took place in post-conflict central Sulawesi and Maluku. The nexus between terrorism and crime is not nearly as strong as in other countries. There have been a few cases of bartering ganja (marijuana) for guns – and one case of trading endangered anteaters – but in general, narco-terrorism is not a problem. Jihadi use of armed robberies as a fund-raising method is a more serious issue, with banks, gold stores and ATMs the favourite targets. As of this writing it remained unclear who was behind the Medan robbery – although criminal thugs remain the strongest possibility – but jihadi groups have robbed Medan banks before, most notably the Lippo Bank in 2003. Such crimes constitute a miniscule proportion of the country’s robberies, but it is still worth looking at where the guns come from when they occur. The problem may increase as the larger jihadi groups weaken and split, particularly those that once depended on member contributions for financing day-to-day activities. Recruitment by jihadis of ordinary criminals in prisons may also strengthen the linkage between terrorism and crime in the future. There are four main sources of illegal guns in Indonesia. They can be stolen or illegally purchased from security forces, taken from leftover stockpiles in former conflict areas, manufactured by local gunsmiths or smuggled from abroad. Thousands of guns acquired legally but later rendered illicit through lapsed permits have become a growing concern because no one has kept track of them. Throughout the country, corruption facilitates the circulation of illegal arms in different ways and undermines what on paper is a tight system of regulation.

Details: Jakarta/Brussels: International Crisis Group, 2010. 19p.

Source: Internet Resource: Policy Briefing; Asia Briefing No. 109: Accessed September 7, 2010 at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-east-asia/indonesia/B109-illicit-arms-in-indonesia.aspx

Year: 2010

Country: Indonesia

URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-east-asia/indonesia/B109-illicit-arms-in-indonesia.aspx

Shelf Number: 119762

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns
Illicit Firearms
Smuggling
Weapons

Author: Frattaroli, Shannon

Title: Removing Guns from Domestic Violence Offenders: An Analysis of State Level Policies to Prevent Future Abuse

Summary: This report details the status of police gun removal laws and court-ordered removal laws in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and summarizes select characteristics of those laws that we believe are important for effective implementation. The report is intended as a resource for advocates and policy makers. In addition to highlighting characteristics of the laws that may affect their implementation and impact, we conclude this report with a set of recommendations for advancing policy and practice to reduce the dangers associated with armed batterers.

Details: Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, 2009. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2010 at: http://www.jhsph.edu/bin/u/p/Gun%20Removal%207%20Oct%2009.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.jhsph.edu/bin/u/p/Gun%20Removal%207%20Oct%2009.pdf

Shelf Number: 119832

Keywords:
Battered Women
Domestic Violence
Family Violence
Guns
Spouse Abuse
Weapons

Author: O'Flaherty, Brendan

Title: Peaceable Kingdoms and War Zones: Preemption, Ballistics and Murder in Newark

Summary: Between 2000 and 2006 the murder rate in Newark doubled while the national rate remained essentially constant. In 2006, Newark had seven times as many murders per capita as the nation as a whole. Furthermore, the increase in murders came about through an increase in lethality: total gun discharges rose much more slowly than the likelihood of death per shooting. In order to explain these trends we develop a theoretical model of murder in which preemptive killing and weapon choice play a central role. Strategic complementarity amplifes changes in fundamentals, so areas with high murder rates (war zones) respond much more strongly to changes in fundamentals than those with low murder rates (peaceable kingdoms). In Newark, the changes in fundamentals that set o¤ the spiral were a collapsing arrest rate (and probably a falling conviction rate), a reduction in prisoners, and a shrinking police force. A prediction of the model is that murders will decline in a manner that is as sharp and sudden as the increase has been, and there is preliminary evidence to suggest that such a collapse in the murder rate is already underway.

Details: New York: Department of Economics, Columbia University, 2007. 61p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 11, 2010 at: http://www.columbia.edu/~rs328/murder.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United States

URL: http://www.columbia.edu/~rs328/murder.pdf

Shelf Number: 119915

Keywords:
Crime Rates
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicide

Author: SEESAC (South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons)

Title: 'The Rifle Has the Devil Inside': Gun Culture in South Eastern Europe

Summary: SALW (Small Arms and Light Weapons)control stakeholders and practitioners within South Eastern Europe (SEE) are often told that weapon registration and collection programmes are ineffective because guns are an intrinsic part of ‘cultures’ in the region. In addition, international and local observers often explain high levels of gun ownership and use in SEE by stating there is a strong ‘gun culture’. In contrast, survey results on the public’s perception of guns, suggest that ‘culture’ and ‘tradition’ are not principal reasons for gun ownership in the region. Thus, it is a matter of continued debate to what extent and which types of gun ownership and use are rendered acceptable and legitimate by certain cultural beliefs and practices. This report examines how cultural beliefs and practices influence gun ownership and use in SEE, and how these might affect SALW control interventions. An anthropological approach was taken to better understand the reasons for civilian gun ownership and use, and the ways in which society represents these behaviours, in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro (including the UN Administered Territory of Kosovo). A wide variety of research tools were used including household surveys (HHS) conducted by SEESAC and UNDP, focus group transcripts, secondary literature searches, statistical data, anthropological field studies, the Internet, print and electronic media. The report concludes that the motivations and reasons for gun ownership and use in SEE are complex and suggests that cultural practices and beliefs do not play a central role in justifying gun ownership and use in SEE. There are pockets of culturally motivated gun related behaviours, in very localised areas, which have historical roots, such as celebratory gunfire in the mountainous areas of the peninsula (parts of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Northern Albania). However, more important are the ways that ‘traditional’ customs and values have interplayed with other factors such as the political or socio-economic situation, or the 1990s conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. People’s behaviours involving guns, and their perceptions of guns, are more to do with the relatively widespread availability of weapons, weak and ineffective law enforcement and the reinvention of history and folklore for political means. Over the years guns have been associated with masculinity and have been a means of defining male attributes but they are not so significant now for ideas of masculinity although gun related activities remain male-oriented. The way guns are represented today, and how society perceives them is largely influenced by the media and how it portrays gun owners and gun use, especially the actions of high profile organizations or individuals who are associated with guns, such as the police, politicians and prominent business people. In general, ‘traditional’ and ‘cultural’ motivations for gun ownership and use in SEE are unlikely to be the principal barriers to SALW control interventions. Security considerations are much more likely to play a significant role with many people unwilling to give up their weapons, which they perceive as providers of security and protection, until they are satisfied that the state can be trusted to provide for their needs. Whilst there are still relatively high crime levels, the unresolved status of territory i.e. the UN Administered Territory of Kosovo, uncertain futures and interethnic distrust (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Southern Serbia and to some extent in Montenegro and Moldova) there will be people who feel that they are justified in keeping their guns.

Details: Belgrade: SEESAC, 2006. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 13, 2010 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/portal/spotlight/country/eu_pdf/europe-regional-2006-b.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/portal/spotlight/country/eu_pdf/europe-regional-2006-b.pdf

Shelf Number: 119948

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides
Illegal Guns

Author: Dreyfus, Pablo

Title: Small Arms in Brazil: Production, Trade, and Holdings

Summary: It is not difficult to find evidence of Brazil’s high levels of armed violence. The proof is in the grim statistics of the country’s hospitals, morgues, and prisons. This Special Report looks at two aspects of this problem. First, it explores the thriving Brazilian small arms industry, which, together with international trafficking networks, contributes to control failures and fuels small arms violence. Second, it maps out weapons holdings—by weapon type, holder, and location

Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2010. 170p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2010 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR11-Small-Arms-in-Brazil.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Brazil

URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR11-Small-Arms-in-Brazil.pdf

Shelf Number: 120035

Keywords:
Guns
Illegal Trade
Trafficking in Weapons
Violence
Violent Crime

Author: Aguirre, Katherine

Title: Assessing the Effect of Policy Interventions on Small Arms Demand in Bogota, Colombia

Summary: In Bogotá, some 50,000 people died in firearm-related events between 1979 and 2009. This constitutes roughly 8% of the total number of deaths, by natural or external causes, registered in the Colombian capital. While the impact of firearms in Bogotá is smaller than in Colombia as a whole, where approximately 11% of deaths have been attributed to firearms, Bogotá contributed 10% of all firearms deaths in Colombia over the period 1979 to 2009. In Bogotá as in the rest of Colombia, homicides are the primary event through which firearms deaths occur (more than 90% of cases). In 2009, there were over 15,000 homicides registered in Colombia. Despite an impressive reduction since 2002 (26.8%), and this figure being the lowest in more than 20 years, the homicide rate in Colombia continues to rank as one of the highest in the world, if not the highest. Improvements in the city of Bogotá have contributed substantially to the overall reduction in homicides. The city has experienced an impressive reduction of homicide violence since its peak in 1993, when the number of homicides rose from 3,000 in 1992 to almost 4,500, a 33% increase. According to the National Police, the figure of 2009 of Bogotá was 1,327 a reduction of around 70% with respect to the 1993 level. The current homicide rate of 18 per 100,000 inhabitants is still quite high, but contrasts with the rate of 1993 of 80 per 100.000. The contribution of Bogotá to the total number of homicides of the country has not declined at the same speed as the level of homicides. For the 2007, the Ministry of Defence says that the capital contribute with 32.7 per cent in the decrease of the homicides in the whole country. Violence in Colombia is a result of two interconnected complex social phenomena. The first is the prevalence of entrenched criminal organisations, mainly involved in the production and transport of illegal narcotics. The second is the three-sided armed conflict between the government, guerrilla groups and paramilitary groups. The situation in Bogotá is influenced more by common urban delinquency by conflict dynamics. In this document, we assess the market associated with the criminal use of firearms. Recent academic studies highlighted demand for firearms for violent use. This assessment will distinguish demand for firearms along two main axes: the markets in which they can be obtained (legal and illegal markets) and how individuals use them (criminally and non-criminally). Specifically, we will explore the impact that active antigun policies and other security interventions, established in the mid-1990s, had on reducing firearm-related homicides in Bogotá. After reviewing the general context, we will introduce the policies that have been implemented by local administrations during the period in which the homicide rate fell drastically. We then use a variety a statistical methods to assess the impact of gun-carrying and violence reduction interventions on homicide in Bogotá.

Details: Bogota, Colombia: CERAC - Centro de Recursos para el Analisis de Conflictos, 2009. 62p.

Source: Internet Resource: Documentos de CERAC, No. 14: Accessed October 19, 2010 at: http://www.cerac.org.co/pdf/CERAC_WP_14_DemandBogotaFinal.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: Colombia

URL: http://www.cerac.org.co/pdf/CERAC_WP_14_DemandBogotaFinal.pdf

Shelf Number: 120022

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides
Organized Crime
Violence
Violent Crime

Author: Siebel, Brian J.

Title: No Check. No Gun. Why Brady Background Checks Should be Required For All Gun Sales

Summary: Since the Brady Bill was passed in 1994, Brady background checks have prevented 1,631,000 attempts by criminals and other dangerous people to purchase guns. Of these 1.6 million denied attempts to purchase, 51.6% were denied for felony charges, 14.5% had a history of domestic violence, and 4.2% were fugitives from justice. While Brady background checks likely contributed to lowering gun violence across the country, an estimated 40% of gun purchases still do not require background checks. Requiring background checks at all sales at gun shows is popular among the American public: a 2008 poll revealed that 87% of people favor requiring everyone who purchases a gun at a gun show to undergo a criminal background check with 83% of gun owners agreeing. As 95% of all background checks are completed within several minutes, this process does not inconvenience law-abiding citizens. Background checks should be required for all purchases.

Details: Washington, DC: Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 2009. 44p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2010 at: http://www.bradycenter.org/xshare/pdf/reports/no-check-no-gun-report.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bradycenter.org/xshare/pdf/reports/no-check-no-gun-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 119969

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns
Violent Crime

Author: Yemen Armed Violence Assessment

Title: Under Pressure: Social Violence Over Land and Water in Yemen

Summary: This Yemen Armed Violence Assessment (YAVA) Issue Brief provides an overview of the dynamics and impacts of land- and water-related social violence, highlighting likely future trends. It elaborates on the particular contribution of small arms and light weapons as a cross-cutting factor shaping social violence. The Issue Brief also considers government initiatives to contain civilian gun use, and highlights the many linkages between social violence and other systemic challenges confronting Yemeni society.

Details: Geneva: Small Arms Survey, Yemen Armed Violence Assessment, 2010. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Small Arms Survey, Issue Brief, No. 2; Accessed October 20, 2010 at: http://yemenviolence.org/pdfs/Yemen-Armed-Violence-IB2-Social-violence-over-land-and-water-in-Yemen.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Yemen

URL: http://yemenviolence.org/pdfs/Yemen-Armed-Violence-IB2-Social-violence-over-land-and-water-in-Yemen.pdf

Shelf Number: 120019

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Violent Crime

Author: Albright, Danielle

Title: Results from the New Mexico Gang Threat Assessment

Summary: Project Safe Neighborhoods began in 2001 as a federal initiative to reduce gun violence in the U.S. The initiative brings together local, state, and federal law enforcement partners with the goal of providing a comprehensive strategy for prevention, intervention, and suppression of gun related crime. In 2006, PSN added an anti-gang component to its existing strategy. In the District of New Mexico comprehensive data on gang-related crime and violence is limited, complicating efforts to shift the focus of PSN activities in the State towards anti-gang efforts. To facilitate this shift and determine how the current PSN infrastructure built through the anti-gun initiative could be expanded to include anti-gang activities, the District’s PSN task force allocated a portion of its PSN research funds towards the development and implementation of a statewide gang threat assessment survey. The survey was designed to identify how law enforcement personnel across the state: 1) perceive the nature and extent of the gang problem in New Mexico; 2) collect information on gangs, gang members, and gang crime within their agencies; 3) identify resources available, both within their agencies and the community at large, for combating the gang problem in their jurisdictions, and 4) how they think the State should prioritize future anti-gang activities. This report was prepared for the New Mexico PSN Task Force for use in developing research driven policy and program initiatives, to serve as a benchmark for future gang threat assessment research, and to identify the direction of future research and media outreach campaigns.

Details: Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Statistical Analysis Center, Institute for Social Research, University of New Mexico, 2008. 63p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 21, 2010 at: http://nmsac.unm.edu/contact_information/nmsac_publications/

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL: http://nmsac.unm.edu/contact_information/nmsac_publications/

Shelf Number: 120048

Keywords:
Gangs
Gun Violence
Guns
Violent Crime

Author: Thaler, Kai

Title: Weapons, Violence and Personal Security in Cape Town

Summary: Given the high levels of crime and violence in South Africa, there may be a temptation for citizens to arm themselves for protection. Using quantitative survey data from the Cape Area Panel Study and qualitative interviews with residents of high-violence neighborhoods, this paper examines the question of who carries weapons outside the home in Cape Town and what the effects of weapon carrying may be. Multiple regression analysis is used to test the significance of possible socioeconomic drivers of weapon carrying and the results are discussed in the South African social context. Weapon carrying is found to be associated with both assault perpetration and victimization, suggesting that it is part of a violent lifestyle in which weapon carriers are likely to use their weapons both offensively and defensively. Possible weapon-related policies for violence reduction are also discussed.

Details: Brighton, UK: Households in Conflict Network, Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, 2010. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: HiCN Working Paper 85: Accessed November 5, 2010 at: http://www.hicn.org/papers/wp85.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: South Africa

URL: http://www.hicn.org/papers/wp85.pdf

Shelf Number: 120191

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Socio-Economic Conditions
Violence
Violent Crime
Weapons (South Africa)

Author: Gabelnick, Tamar

Title: A Guide to the US Small Arms Market, Industry and Exports, 1998-2004

Summary: This report will be of interest to scholars, policy analysts, diplomats, and activists concerned about the global gun economy and/or the impact of firearms on society in the United States or the world at large. It presents a snapshot of what, precisely, is knowable — and what is not — about the world’s leading small arms maker and market. The report tracks US firearms production, imports, and domestic sales during 1998–2004 and provides insight into fluctuations in the civilian, military, and (to a limited extent) law enforcement markets. It surveys US small arms manufacturers and the special constraints under which they were operating during this period, and it highlights the increasing market share gained by imported weapons and foreign-owned producers. It also describes US shipments of small arms to other countries, particularly as part of the ‘war on terrorism’ initiated by the US government following the 9/11 terror attacks. A brief overview of the relevant US laws and policies governing firearms imports and exports is provided. Finally, the report provides a guide to further research and a template for more meaningful transparency around US weapons production, imports, exports, and domestic sales.

Details: Geneva: Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International Studies, 2006. 111p.

Source: Internet Resource: Small Arms Survey Occasional Paper no. 19: Accessed November 9, 2010 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/B-Occasional-papers/SAS-OP19-US.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: International

URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/B-Occasional-papers/SAS-OP19-US.pdf

Shelf Number: 120267

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Terrorism
Weaspons

Author: U.S. Department of Justice. Office of the Inspector General. Evaluation and Inspections Division

Title: Review of ATF's Project Gunrunner

Summary: This review by the Department of Justice (Department) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) examined the impact of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) implementation of Project Gunrunner on the illicit trafficking of guns from the United States to Mexico. Violence associated with organized crime and drug trafficking in Mexico is widespread, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. In part because Mexican law severely restricts gun ownership, drug traffickers have turned to the United States as a primary source of weapons, and these drug traffickers routinely smuggle guns from the United States into Mexico. The criminal organizations responsible for smuggling guns to Mexico are typically also involved in other criminal enterprises, such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and cash smuggling. This requires ATF to work with other federal entities, as well as with state and local law enforcement partners, in sharing intelligence, coordinating law enforcement activities, and building cases that can be prosecuted. To help combat firearms trafficking into Mexico, ATF began Project Gunrunner as a pilot project in Laredo, Texas, in 2005 and expanded it as a national initiative in 2006. Project Gunrunner is also part of the Department’s broader Southwest Border Initiative, which seeks to reduce cross-border drug and firearms trafficking and the high level of violence associated with these activities on both sides of the border. In June 2007, ATF published a strategy document, Southwest Border Initiative: Project Gunrunner (Gunrunner strategy), outlining four key components to Project Gunrunner: the expansion of gun tracing in Mexico, international coordination, domestic activities, and intelligence. In implementing Project Gunrunner, ATF has focused resources in its four Southwest border field divisions. In addition, ATF has made firearms trafficking to Mexico a top ATF priority nationwide. The OIG conducted this review to evaluate the effectiveness of ATF’s implementation of Project Gunrunner. Our review examined ATF’s enforcement and regulatory programs related to the Southwest border and Mexico, ATF’s effectiveness in developing and sharing firearms trafficking intelligence and information, the number and prosecutorial outcomes of ATF’s Project Gunrunner investigations, ATF’s coordination with U.S. and Mexican law enforcement partners, ATF’s traces of Mexican “crime guns,” and challenges that ATF faces in coordinating efforts to combat firearms trafficking with Mexico.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, 2010. 138p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2010 at: http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/ATF/e1101.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/ATF/e1101.pdf

Shelf Number: 120279

Keywords:
Drug Trafficking
Gun Violence
Guns
Organized Crime
Trafficking in Weapons
Weapons

Author: Small Arms Survey

Title: Fault Lines: Tracking Armed Violence in Yemen

Summary: In Yemen, armed violence is conditioned by the widespread availability and proliferation of small arms and light weapons. It is also exacerbated by structural factors such as weak rule of law, the limited political legitimacy of public institutions, and rapid natural resource depletion. Similarly, it is tolerated due to prevailing sociocultural norms sanctioning certain forms of violence, and because of competing geopolitical interests. As a result, many observers are concerned about the likelihood of increased instability in Yemen and its implications for the region as a whole. Drawing on intensive research and analysis, this Issue Brief first briefly reviews Yemen’s political and economic environment. It considers a range of key risk factors shaping contemporary and future instability, then provides a short assessment of arms availability and use. Finally, the Issue Brief provides a typology to conceptualize the manifestations of armed violence and the interaction of key risk factors. While preliminary, the typology facilitates a more structured analysis of armed violence dynamics in Yemen and identifies opportunities for strategic engagement leading to preventive and reduction strategies for both Yemeni actors and their international partners. A 13 page supplement presents a timeline covering incidents reported in the media over the 12-month period from September 2008 to August 2009, inclusive. Both printed and online publications were monitored, primarily but not exclusively in English. Yemen’s press was classified as ‘Not Free’ in the 2009 Freedom of the Press Index and Yemen was ranked 172nd out of 195 countries (Freedom House, 2009). In particular, the government has imposed considerable restrictions on reporting political developments in the south since early 2009, and more generally on the war in Sa’dah. The 199 incidents documented below should therefore be read as indicative of the manifestation of armed violence in Yemen rather than as a comprehensive audit. Nevertheless, they encompass incidents in which approximately 740 people were killed and at least a further 734 injured.

Details: Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2010. 12p., supplement

Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief: Available December 13, 2010 at: http://www.yemenviolence.org/pdfs/Yemen-Armed-Violence-IB1-Tracking-armed-violence-in-Yemen.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Yemen

URL: http://www.yemenviolence.org/pdfs/Yemen-Armed-Violence-IB1-Tracking-armed-violence-in-Yemen.pdf

Shelf Number: 120450

Keywords:
Domestic Violence
Gun Violence
Guns
Violence (Yemen)
Violent Crime
Weapons

Author: Muggah, Robert

Title: Timor-Leste Armed Violence Assessment Final Report

Summary: This report brings together research and analysis produced for the Timor- Leste Armed Violence Assessment (TLAVA) over the period 2008–10. The TLAVA was a two-year field research-based project to explore pressing security issues in Timor-Leste, with a specific focus on the dynamics of armed violence. Co-sponsored and administered jointly by the Small Arms Survey and ActionAid Australia (formerly Austcare) with support from AusAID, the project produced five Issue Briefs and two legal analyses, as well as workshops and consultations with key domestic Timorese and international stakeholders. The overarching goal of the project was to marshal existing and new research to systematically examine the gap between real and perceived armed violence in Timor-Leste, and produce accessible publications to inform interventions. Based on consultations with stakeholders in Timor-Leste, the project focused on three specific areas: an assessment of the risk factors, impacts, and socio-economic costs of armed violence in relation to population health—particularly women, children and male youths, and internally displaced persons (IDPs); a review of the dynamics of armed violence associated with ‘high-risk’ groups such as gangs, specific communities in affected districts, petitioners, veterans, and state institutions, and potential triggers such as elections; and the role of arms (e.g. bladed, home-made or ‘craft’, and manufactured) as a factor contributing to armed violence. In addition to the reports generated by the TLAVA, the research team sought to ensure the transfer and exchange of skills and training for sustainable research on armed violence, and to strengthen domestic monitoring and information management capacities in the public health and security sectors to prevent and reduce armed violence. This report is organized by thematic area, reviewing specific topics covered in the Issue Briefs, specifically the presence and control of small arms in Timor-Leste, group-related violence and state and civil society efforts to control it, and sexual and gender-based violence and recent developments in addressing it. Owing to important developments since the publication of the original Issue Briefs, researchers and contributors provided updates on these topics in 2010. While not all substantive areas of the TLAVA could be revisited, the conclusion reflects on future directions for research on armed violence in Timor-Leste.

Details: Geneva: Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2010. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 14, 2010 at: http://www.timor-leste-violence.org/pdfs/Timor-Leste-Violence-Special-Report-12.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Asia

URL: http://www.timor-leste-violence.org/pdfs/Timor-Leste-Violence-Special-Report-12.pdf

Shelf Number: 120508

Keywords:
Gangs
Gun Violence
Guns
Violence (Timor-Leste)
Violence Against Women
Violent Crime

Author: Chicago Police Department

Title: Trafficking: Case Studies of Five Trafficked Guns in Chicago

Summary: This brief report presents five case studies developed by the Chicago Police Department's CAGE Team on trafficked guns in Chicago.

Details: Chicago: Chicago Police Department, 2007. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 15, 2010 at: https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/News/Department%20Publications/Guns-CaseStudies.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United States

URL: https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/News/Department%20Publications/Guns-CaseStudies.pdf

Shelf Number: 120510

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Illegal Weapons (Chicago)
Trafficked Guns

Author: Aneja, Abhay

Title: The Impact of Right-to-Carry Laws and the NRC Report: Lessons for the Empirical Evaluation of Law and Policy

Summary: For over a decade, there has been a spirited academic debate over the impact on crime of laws that grant citizens the presumptive right to carry concealed handguns in public - so-called right-to-carry (RTC) laws. In 2005, the National Research Council (NRC) offered a critical evaluation of the "more guns, less crime" hypothesis using county-level crime data for the period 1977-2003 15 of the 16 NRC panel members essentially concluded that the existing research was inadequate to conclude that RTC laws increased or decreased crime. One member of the NRC panel concluded that the NRC panel data regressions supported the conclusion that RTC laws decreased murder, while the 15-member majority responded that the scientific evidence did not support that conclusion. We evaluate the NRC evidence and show that, unfortunately, the regression estimates presented in the report appear to be incorrect. We improve and expand on the report's county data analysis by analyzing an additional six years of county data as well as state panel data for the period 1977-2006. While we have considerable sympathy with the NRC's majority view about the difficulty of drawing conclusions from simple panel data models, we disagree with the NRC report's judgment that cluster adjustments to correct for serial correlation are not needed. Our randomization tests show that without such adjustments the Type 1 error soars to 4'270 percent. In addition, the conclusion of the dissenting panel member that RTC laws reduce murder has no statistical support. Our paper highlights further important questions to consider when using panel data methods to resolve questions of law and policy effectiveness. We buttress the NRC's cautious conclusion about right-to-carry legislation's impact by showing how sensitive the estimated impact of RTC laws is to different data periods, the use of state versus county data, particular specifications, and the decision to control for state trends. Overall, the most consistent, albeit not uniform, finding to emerge from the array of models is that aggravated assault rises when RTC laws are adopted. For every other crime category, there is little or no indication of any consistent RTC impact on crime. It will be worth exploring whether other methodological approaches and or additional years of data will confirm the results of this panel-data analysis.

Details: Paper presented at the 5th Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies Paper

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 2, 2011 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1632599

Year: 0

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1632599

Shelf Number: 120681

Keywords:
Crime Control
Gun Control
Guns
Right-to-Carry Laws
Weaspons

Author: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Title: RCMP Canadian Firearms Program: Program Evaluation

Summary: This report presents a Strategic Evaluation of the Canadian Firearms Program (CFP), in response to a recommendation contained in the Tenth Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts1 published in December 2006 in Chapter 4 of the May 2006 Report of the Auditor General of Canada (Canadian Firearms Program (CFP)) and in accordance with the Treasury Board policy on Transfer Payments. The first section of this report includes the profile, performance measures, evaluation, and reporting plans concerning the CFP and has been updated to reflect recent administrative changes and amendments to the day to day operations of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Canadian Firearms Program in the administration of the Firearms Act and the CFP. It also addressees the Auditor General’s recommendation that the CFP develop a results chain and improve performance reporting for the Program. The scope of the strategic evaluation is limited to direct costs incurred by the CFP and RCMP partners in the administration of the CFP (see section 2.5 for a definition of direct and indirect costs). The evaluation covers the key evaluation issues of relevance, success, cost-effectiveness and implementation of the CFP. In October 2007, members of the RCMP’s National Program Evaluation Service (NPES) began conducting provincial interviews for the Canadian Firearms Program. Most of the interviews were arranged in advance and candidates were randomly selected from large groupings where possible. Two (2) opt-in provinces were visited: New Brunswick and Ontario; and three (3) opt-out: British Columbia, Alberta and the territory of Nunavut. The following key findings were summarized from interviews and open source documents. The RCMP’s National Program Evaluation Services reviewed existing literature relating to gun policy and regulatory models, with particular emphasis on public safety issues, including suicide, accidental deaths and homicide.

Details: Ottawa: RCMP, 2010. 148p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 11, 2011 at: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/fire-feu-eval/eval-eng.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/fire-feu-eval/eval-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 121309

Keywords:
Firearms (Canada)
Gun Policy
Guns
Homicides
Policing
Weapons

Author: Kessler, Jim

Title: Missing Records: Holes in Background Check System Allow Illegal Buyers to Get Guns

Summary: This report, issued in the wake of the nation’s worst-ever mass shooting at Virginia Tech, updates a 2002 look at the records in background check system. We conclude that the system has improved in the last five years, but as evidenced by Seung-Hui Cho’s ability to pass two firearms purchase background checks, major holes remain. For example, 91% of those who should be barred by virtue of their mental illness (like Cho) are not in the system.

Details: Washington, DC: The Third Way, 2007. 11p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 15, 2011 at: http://content.thirdway.org/publications/69/Third_Way_Report_-_Missing_Records_-_Holes_in_the_Background_Check_System_-_How_They_Allow_Illegal_Buyers_to_Get_Guns.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United States

URL: http://content.thirdway.org/publications/69/Third_Way_Report_-_Missing_Records_-_Holes_in_the_Background_Check_System_-_How_They_Allow_Illegal_Buyers_to_Get_Guns.pdf

Shelf Number: 121362

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns
Illegal Guns

Author: Police Executive Research Forum

Title: Guns and Crime: Breaking New Ground By Focusing on the Local Impact

Summary: This report summarizes the results of a project that the Police Executive Research Forum undertook to explore issues of gun crime in the United States. There are several dynamics that led PERF to think that we needed to do some work on the issue of gun crime: • It seems that the United States has become anesthetized to gun violence. While the 1999 Columbine school massacre in Colorado resulted in widespread demands for action to prevent such tragedies from occurring, it seemed that more recent incidents (Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, the nursing home rampage in Carthage, N.C., to name just a few) no longer prompted many calls for reform, because people no longer expect that any reforms will be made. • Even though violent crime in the United States has declined sharply since the 1990s, our nation still endures far higher homicide rates than do other countries — for example, 46 killings per day in the U.S. compared to only 8 killings per day in the entire European Union, which has a population 60 percent larger than the United States’. • Prospects for reform at the federal level seem bleak. In 2009, Washington showed little or no appetite for taking on gun crime issues. In an effort to “get off the dime” on the issue of gun violence, PERF decided to investigate what is happening at the local level on these issues. We wanted answers to questions like these: Are all cities facing the same types of gun violence, or are there significant local differences? In the views of local police executives, what are the most important factors that contribute to their gun problems? What have local police departments done to prevent gun violence? Are there police initiatives that seem especially effective in reducing shootings? What do police chiefs want most from their local, state, and federal governments to help them reduce gun violence? PERF began by conducting a pair of surveys: one to local police departments, and the other to all of the Field Divisions of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Next, we conducted case studies in a number of cities. And finally, we convened a Gun Summit in Washington, D.C. on November 12. We invited local chiefs and ATF officials to share with us and each other their stories detailing exactly how gun crime is damaging their local communities, and what they have been doing about it. And in order to ensure that we would not just have police talking to each other in a sort of echo chamber at our Summit, we also invited representatives of two major gun rights groups and the Brady Center to attend. I know there are people who will ask, “How could you invite ‘those people’ to the table?” And my answer is the same as when I worked in the Middle East: “You don’t make peace with your friends.” So yes, we invited everyone to the table in order to get all sides talking to each other, with the common theme of reducing gun violence across the country. Instead of the same old stale arguments that have been circulating in Washington for years, we hoped to identify new perspectives and new approaches to getting a job done—the job of reducing gun homicides and other shootings.

Details: Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum, 2010. 52p.

Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed April 15, 2011 at: http://policeforum.org/library/critical-issues-in-policing-series/GunsandCrime.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://policeforum.org/library/critical-issues-in-policing-series/GunsandCrime.pdf

Shelf Number: 121366

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides
Violent Crime

Author: Sugarmann, Josh

Title: Blood Money: How the Gun Industry Bankrolls the NRA

Summary: The National Rifle Association (NRA) receives millions of dollars directly from domestic and foreign gun manufacturers and other members of the firearms industry through an organized corporate outreach program according to a new report issued today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). This report reveals that since 2005 contributions from gun industry "corporate partners" to the NRA total between $14.7 million and $38.9 million. Total donations to the NRA from all "corporate partners"--both gun industry and non-gun industry--for the same time period total between $19.8 million and $52.6 million. The vast majority of funds--74 percent--contributed to the NRA from “corporate partners” come from members of the firearms industry: companies involved in the manufacture or sale of firearms or shooting-related products. Despite the NRA's historical claims that it is not financially allied with the gun industry, including the current disclaimer on its website that it “is not affiliated with any firearm or ammunition manufacturers or with any businesses that deal in guns and ammunition,” NRA "corporate partners" include many of the world's best known gunmakers as well as such companies as Xe, the new name of the now infamous Blackwater Worldwide--known for its abuses in the Iraq war--which alone contributed between $500,000 and $999,999 to the NRA since 2005.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2011. 33p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 20, 2011 at: http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney.pdf

Shelf Number: 121769

Keywords:
Guns
Weapons

Author: Peace Studies Group

Title: Violence and Small Arms: The Portuguese Case

Summary: This issue presents some of the results of the research project “Violence and small arms: the Portuguese case”, which was developed during 30 months, from 2007 to 2010. The idea which gave rise to the project was that the theoretical segmentation between Sociology and International Relations regarding this theme, which expressed an understanding of violence that over-emphasised territorial scale and formal political contexts, should be replaced by a different approach which gives analytical priority to the spiral of violences that put micro and macro social in contact, hence, detaching its analysis from the redactor dichotomy war/peace. We believe that through this different approach can one rigorously analyse the different dimensions of the social reality of firearms violence in formal peace contexts, regardless of their lethal capacity or of their most visible expressions. Our challenge was precisely to question conventional assumptions of conventional studies on small arms. The explicit lack of synchrony between common sense and scientific knowledge has enabled Portuguese society to get in contact with the small arms reality, based on images and representations constructed on the existing ignorance on the dimensions and real complexity of the phenomena. Two elements have been supporting discourses and policies: on one hand, the idea that we live in a peaceful country, and on the other hand, the social fear waves triggered by individual armed urban violence events. These two elements either minimalise the effective importance – quantitative and qualitative - of small arms in Portugal, or assume a reactive and immediate response in face of social unrest. The invisibility of firearms in Portugal – as well as its circumstantial hypervisibility in the media – fail to give an adequate answer to the focus of the phenomena: the four main dimensions of the phenomena in Portugal. Firstly, small arms supply: how many legal small arms are there in Portugal? Based on international knowledge and experience, how can we estimate illegal small arms in Portugal? Which flows fuel both markets? Secondly, small arms demand: what kind of motivations support firearms contact, use and possession in Portugal? Are there differences across distinctive groups of population (men and women, youth and adults, etc.)? Thirdly, what are the impacts of small arms in Portugal? Which costs do firearms imply for the Portuguese economy and society? Who are the direct victims (the dead and the injured) and the indirect victims (the survival, victims relatives) of armed violence in our country? Finally, what kind of public policies, national or international, have been implemented to regulate small arms? To what extent have they succeeded regarding prevention of gun violence and regulation of small arms use and possession? Which forms of social activism have proven efficient in the creation of preventive and reactive contra-cultures in armed violence contexts?

Details: Coimbra, Portugal: Peace Studies Group, 2010. 25p.

Source: Internet Resource: PAX Online Bulletin No. 15: Accessed May 23, 2011 at: http://www.ces.uc.pt/nucleos/nep/media/Pax15-en.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: Portugal

URL: http://www.ces.uc.pt/nucleos/nep/media/Pax15-en.pdf

Shelf Number: 121780

Keywords:
Domestic Violence
Gun Violence (Portugal)
Guns
Homicides

Author: Diaz, Tom

Title: The Militarization of the U.S. Civilian Firearms Market

Summary: This study identifies the major force driving the criminal cross-border gun traffic: the gun industry’s cynical militarization of the U.S. civilian gun market. “Today, militarized weapons--semiautomatic assault rifles, 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifles, and armor-piercing handguns--define the U.S. civilian gun market and are far and away the ‘weapons of choice’ of the traffickers supplying violent drug organizations in Mexico” the study, "The Militarization of the U.S. Civilian Firearms Market" finds. The study also finds that the gun industry has become so dependent on militarized product lines that 11 of the top 15 gun manufacturers now market assault weapons, adding that “...the gun industry designs, manufactures, imports, and sells firearms in the civilian market that are to all intents and purposes the same as military arms. It then bombards its target market with the message that civilian consumers--just like real soldiers--can easily and legally own the firepower of militarized weapons.” The study documents a deliberate gun industry design and marketing strategy, begun in the 1980s, that has resulted in the easy availability and shockingly weak regulation of guns that are — •Identical to sophisticated battlefield weapons used by the armed forces of the United States and other countries, such as the Barrett 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifle. •Slightly modified variants of military firearms that would otherwise be illegal to sell on the civilian market, including semiautomatic versions of military assault weapons, such as civilian AR-15 and AK-47 assault rifle models. •Weapons capable of defeating body armor, specially designed for police and counter-terrorism units, such as the FN Herstal Five-seveN 5.7mm pistol. “Your grandfather’s shotgun has no place in today’s civilian gun market,” said the study’s author, VPC Senior Policy Analyst Tom Diaz. “The gun industry has created a unique American civilian firearms bazaar which arms thousands of criminals, dangerous extremists, and drug traffickers throughout the world. If Congress wants to find the real causes of the gun traffic to Mexico, it needs to look upstream to the gun industry’s callous transformation of the American gun market into one more suited to warfare than sport. The world’s bad guys come here for their guns because they are cheap and plentiful.” The study describes how, plagued by declining gun ownership and the explosion of recreational alternatives such as electronic games, the faltering gun industry has relied on creating demand by designing and selling increasingly lethal military-style firepower.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2011. 52p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 27, 2011 at: http://www.vpc.org/studies/militarization.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vpc.org/studies/militarization.pdf

Shelf Number: 121832

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence (U.S.)
Guns
Trafficking in Weapons
Weapons

Author: Krouse, William J.

Title: Gun Control Legislation

Summary: Congress has debated the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition, with strong advocates arguing for and against greater gun control. The tragic shootings in Tucson, AZ, on January 8, 2011, in which six people were killed and 13 wounded, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, could prompt the 112th Congress to examine issues related to the shooter’s mental illness and drug use (see S. 436) and his use of large capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFDs) (see H.R. 308 and S. 32), as well as a proposal to ban firearms within the proximity of certain high-level federal officials (see H.R. 367 and H.R. 496). Other emerging issues include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’s (ATF) proposal to require multiple rifle sales reports from Southwest border state gun dealers and its conduct of Operation Fast and Furious. More recently, gun-related amendments to bills reauthorizing USA PATRIOT Act provisions were considered (H.R. 1800, S. 1038, and S. 990), but were not included in the enacted legislation (P.L. 112-14). To set these and other emerging issues in context, this report provides basic firearms-related statistics, an overview of federal firearms law, and a summary of legislative action in the 111th Congress. During the 111th Congress, the gun control debate was colored by two key Supreme Court findings. In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Court found that the District of Columbia (DC) handgun ban, among other regulations, violated an individual’s right under the Second Amendment to lawfully possess a firearm in his home for self-defense. In McDonald v. City of Chicago, the Court found that the Second Amendment also applied to the states. Congress considered amendments to DC voting rights bills that would have further overturned DC gun laws (S. 160 and H.R. 157), effectively scuttling the House bill. In addition, some Members passed several other gun-related provisions included in enacted legislation that address • carrying firearms on public lands (P.L. 111-24), • transporting firearms in passenger luggage on Amtrak (P.L. 111-117), • widening law enforcement off-duty concealed carry privileges (P.L. 111-272), and • prohibiting higher health care premiums for gun owners (P.L. 111-148). The 111th Congress reconsidered or newly considered several other provisions that were not enacted. These issues could re-emerge in the 112th Congress. These provisions address • gun rights restoration for veterans previously deemed to be mentally incompetent (S. 669 and H.R. 6132), • firearms possession in public housing (H.R. 3045 and H.R. 4868), • interstate reciprocity of concealed carry privileges (S. 1390 and S. 845), and • the treatment of firearms under bankruptcy proceedings (H.R. 5827/S. 3654). The report concludes with discussion of other salient and recurring gun control issues that have generated past congressional interest. Those issues include (1) screening firearms background check applicants against terrorist watch lists; (2) reforming the regulation of federally licensed gun dealers; (3) requiring background checks for private firearms transfers at gun shows; (4) more-strictly regulating certain firearms previously defined in statute as “semiautomatic assault weapons”; and (5) banning or requiring the registration of certain long-range .50 caliber rifles, which are commonly referred to as “sniper” rifles.

Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2011. 61p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2011 at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32842.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32842.pdf

Shelf Number: 121946

Keywords:
Firearms and Weapons
Gun Control (U.S.)
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Olscamp, David M.

Title: Project Exile: Beyond Richmond

Summary: Over the past four years, the federal government has spent over $1 billion on Project Safe Neighborhoods. The program, which is modeled after Richmond, Virginia’s Project Exile and Boston, Massachusetts’ Operation Ceasefire, is designed to reduce gun violence by integrating federal, state and local resources. Project Safe Neighborhoods was announced by President Bush on May 14, 2001 and has continued to be his administration’s main crime fighting initiative. This paper attempts to resolve whether or not Project Exile is effective at reducing homicides. Even though Project Exile was nationalized through Project Safe Neighborhoods, there has been little academic inquiry on the program.

Details: Atlanta, GA: Emory University, Department of Economics, 2006. 49p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 11, 2011 at: http://www.economics.emory.edu/Working_Papers/wp/Olscamp.pdf

Year: 2006

Country: United States

URL: http://www.economics.emory.edu/Working_Papers/wp/Olscamp.pdf

Shelf Number: 119165

Keywords:
Gangs
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides
Project Exile
Violent Crime

Author: Karp, Aaron

Title: Estimating Civilian Owned Firearms

Summary: Most of the world’s firearms are privately owned. They include improvised craft guns as well as handguns, rifles, shotguns, and machine guns. The legal definition of a civilian firearm varies; some states allow civilian ownership of certain firearms that are restricted to military use in other states. The word civilian is used here to refer to actual possession, not legality. In 2007, the Small Arms Survey estimated the number of civilian firearm ownership worldwide at approximately 650 million weapons out of some 875 then in existence. National ownership rates range from a high of 90 firearms per every 100 people in the United States, to one firearm or less for every 100 residents in countries like South Korea and Ghana. With the world’s factories delivering millions of newly manufactured firearms annually, and with far fewer being destroyed, civilian ownership is growing. Poor record-keeping and the near absence of reporting requirements for detailed information complicate assessments of global stockpiles of small arms and light weapons. When it comes to estimating civilian firearm ownership, differences in national gun culture - each country’s unique combination of historic and current sources of supply, laws and attitudes toward firearms ownership — often have distinct effects on the classification, ownership and perception of firearms. In addition, categories of firearm holders may overlap, as some individuals may use their private firearms at work as security guards, in armed groups, or in gangs.

Details: Geneva: Small Arms Survey. Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2011. 4p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Note No. 9: Accessed September 15, 2011 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-9.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-9.pdf

Shelf Number: 122739

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Gangs
Gun Ownership
Guns
Violence

Author: Kohli, Anil

Title: Mapping Murder: The Geography of Indian Firearm Fatalities

Summary: Rates of murder, and firearms murder in particular, vary dramatically across India's 28 states and seven union territories, as well 35 cities with over one million residents. National statistics and autopsy findings reveal the range of variation between states and cities. Murder and firearms death are declining in many regions, but much of the country still faces extreme problems. This Issue Brief identifies those areas worst affected and those most immune. Access to illegal firearms is a major element in this variation.

Details: New Delhi: India Armed Violence Assessment, 2011. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief No. 2: Accessed September 21, 2011 at: http://www.india-ava.org/fileadmin/docs/pubs/IAVA-IB2-mapping-murder.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: India

URL: http://www.india-ava.org/fileadmin/docs/pubs/IAVA-IB2-mapping-murder.pdf

Shelf Number: 122803

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides (India)
Violence
Violent Crimes

Author: Acharya, Arabinda

Title: India’s States of Armed Violence Assessing the Human Cost and Political Priorities

Summary: Some forms of violence get more attention than others. Terrorism and insurgency have effects which go far beyond the direct deaths and injuries that they cause, undermining security and economic development. But for sheer numbers of lives destroyed, criminal violence and suicide deserve more attention. All forms of armed violence require more attention, and more holistic policy. Institutional cooperation — between ministries, the central and state governments, and between government and civil society — is only beginning to occur.

Details: New Delhi: India Armed Violence Assessment, 2011. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief No. 1: Accessed September 21, 2011 at: http://www.india-ava.org/fileadmin/docs/pubs/IAVA-IB1-states-of-armed-violence.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: India

URL: http://www.india-ava.org/fileadmin/docs/pubs/IAVA-IB1-states-of-armed-violence.pdf

Shelf Number: 122804

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides
Terrorism
Violence (India)
Violent Crime

Author: Diaz, Tom

Title: Target: Law Enforcement. Assault Weapons in the News, March 1, 2005 - February 29, 2007

Summary: Semiautomatic assault weapons are civilian versions of automatic military assault rifles like the AK-47 and the M-16. The civilian guns look the same as their military brethren because they are identical functionally, except for one feature: military assault rifles are machine guns. A machine gun fires continuously as long as its trigger is held back—until it runs out of ammunition. Civilian assault rifles, in contrast, are semi-automatic weapons. The trigger of a semiautomatic weapon must be pulled back separately for each round fired. Because federal law has banned the sale of new machine guns to civilians since 1986 and heavily regulates sales to civilians of older model machine guns, there is virtually no civilian market for military assault weapons. Nonetheless, civilian semiautomatic assault weapons have proven every bit as deadly as their military counterparts. This study is a snapshot of the effect of America’s laissez-faire policy toward assault weapons. Based on reports of assault weapons in the news over a two-year span, it makes clear that assault weapons are frequently used in crime and confiscated from criminals. Moreover, it demonstrates that the number of incidents in which law enforcement officers are reported to have been confronted with assault weapons rose dramatically in the two-year period monitored.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2011? 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 21, 2011 at: http://www.vpc.org/studies/targetle.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vpc.org/studies/targetle.pdf

Shelf Number: 123079

Keywords:
Assault Weapons (U.S.)
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Cook, Philip J.

Title: Gun Control After Heller: Litigating Against Regulation

Summary: The “core right” established in D.C. vs. Heller (2008) is to keep an operable handgun in the home for self-defense purposes. If the Court extends this right to cover state and local jurisdictions, the result is likely to include the elimination of the most stringent existing regulations – such as Chicago’s handgun ban – and could also possibly ban regulations that place substantial restrictions or costs on handgun ownership. We find evidence in support of four conclusions: The effect of Heller may be to increase the prevalence of handgun ownership in jurisdictions that currently have restrictive laws; Given the best evidence on the consequences of increased prevalence of gun ownership, these jurisdictions will experience a greater burden of crime due to more lethal violence and an increased burglary rate; Nonetheless, a regime with greater scope for gun rights is not necessarily inferior – whether restrictive regulations would pass a cost benefit test may depend on whether we accept the Heller viewpoint that there is a legal entitlement to possess a handgun; In any event, the core right defined by Heller leaves room for some regulation that would reduce the negative externalities of gun ownership.

Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2009. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 15431: Accessed November 1, 2011 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w15431.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w15431.pdf

Shelf Number: 123208

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Ownership
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Rees, Edward

Title: Dealing with the kilat: An historical overview of small arms availability and arms control in Timor-Leste

Summary: Six years after independence and two years after the ‘Krize’, the role of small arms in Timor-Leste society has not yet received a thorough accounting. Such weapons have played a decisive role in shaping repressive tactics of the former colonial powers and countermeasures by resistance movements, through to contemporary criminal violence. Today, against a backdrop of weak institutions, lingering tension, and poorly enforced legislation and arms control norms, military and civilian-style arms continue to trigger interpersonal and collective violence. The issue of missing small arms from state stocks has generated media headlines every week for the last six months. Stories associated with the distribution of arms to civilians are no less controversial. The gradual militarization of Timor-Leste is a legacy of the country’s recent history. The modest numbers of arms flowing into the country during the Portuguese colonial period stand in stark contrast to the progressive arming of Timorese society in the 1970s, which lasted until 1999. Although there are in fact comparatively few small arms and light weapons in the country, sophisticated military-style weapons grew more common during the period of Indonesian occupation (1975–99), with a modest, but nevertheless significant, number held by the Timorese resistance. In tracing out a chronology of arms availability in Timor-Leste, this Issue Brief finds that the availability and motivations associated with arms acquisition and use evolved over time. During the Portuguese and Indonesian era, arms were used primarily as an instrument of repression by colonial forces, while armed groups used them to further resistance and insurrection. In the past decade, arms enabled and exacerbated communal violence, particularly in 1999 and 2006. But Timor-Leste is hardly awash with guns. While existing public and private holdings are poorly registered and accounted for, there are comparatively few manufactured arms in the country; however, craft weapons do present a clear challenge. Nevertheless, as the 2006 crisis readily demonstrated, even a small number of illicit small arms can generate a disproportionately large impact.

Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Timor-Leste Armed Violence Assessment, Small Arms Survey, 2008. 12p.

Source: TLAVA Issue Brief No. 1: Internet Resource: Accessed February 3, 2012 at http://www.timor-leste-violence.org/pdfs/Timor-Leste-Violence-IB1-ENGLISH.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: International

URL: http://www.timor-leste-violence.org/pdfs/Timor-Leste-Violence-IB1-ENGLISH.pdf

Shelf Number: 123946

Keywords:
Arms Control
Firearms (Timor-Leste)
Guns
Weapons

Author: Roth, Lenny

Title: Gun violence: an update

Summary: Over the past year, there have been a large number of shootings, including drive-by shootings, in South-Western and Western Sydney. This has given rise to great concern in the community. NSW Police have set up a special taskforce to tackle gun violence. In addition, on 14 February 2012, the NSW Government announced a number of legislative reforms. The NSW Opposition, the NSW Greens, and the Shooters and Fishers Party, have also proposed reforms. This e-brief updates (in part) a 2004 briefing paper on firearms restrictions.1 After a brief history of firearm laws, the e-brief outlines trends in shooting incidents since 1995, and refers to data on the prosecution of firearm offences. Next, the paper examines the sources of firearms used in crime, including theft. Finally, it refers to recent law enforcement action and proposals for law reform. This e-brief focuses on shooting incidents and does not cover armed robbery.

Details: Sydney: New South Wales Parliamentary Library Research Service, 2012. 14p.

Source: e-brief 5/2012: Internet Resource: Accessed February 28, 2012 at http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/publications.nsf/0/7CB135532A6EF7C1CA2579A50018533C/$File/e-brief.gun+violence.feb12.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/publications.nsf/0/7CB135532A6EF7C1CA2579A50018533C/$File/e-brief.gun+violence.feb12.pdf

Shelf Number: 124311

Keywords:
Drive-By Shootings
Firearms and Crime
Gun Violence (Australia)
Guns

Author: Lowy, Jonathan

Title: Exporting Gun Violence: How Our Weak Gun Laws Arm Criminals in Mexico and America

Summary: Mexico has strong gun laws, requiring registration and restrictions on lethality. The United States has weak federal laws and weak state laws in Texas and Arizona. As a result, high firepower weapons from the United States are supplying Mexican drug cartels and causing carnage. This report provides examples of Mexican crimes committed with guns purchased in the United States because our weak gun laws make it easy to traffic guns.

Details: Washington, DC: Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 2009. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 29, 2012 at http://www.bradycenter.org/xshare/pdf/reports/exporting-gun-violence.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bradycenter.org/xshare/pdf/reports/exporting-gun-violence.pdf

Shelf Number: 114348

Keywords:
Arms Smuggling
Arms Trafficking (Mexico) (U.S.)
Firearms and Violence (Mexico) (U.S.)
Gun Control
Guns

Author: Webster, Daniel W.

Title: Interim Evaluation of Baltimore's Safe Streets Program

Summary: The Safe Streets program was designed and implemented in selected high-crime neighborhoods of Baltimore in an attempt to replicate Chicago's CeaseFire Program. The overall aims of the research are to: 1) describe how the program was implemented using objective measures generated by program implementers; 2) estimate program effects on attitudes and norms around gun violence among youth; and 3) estimate program effects on severe violence, especially severe violence involving youth. A fourth aim, not examined in this report, is to draw important lessons from the experiences and insights of the individuals who are implementing the program about what strategies and tactics appear to be most effective in preventing gun violence in communities. This is an interim report based on the first 14 months of Safe Streets implementation.

Details: Baltimore, MD: Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2009. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 11, 2012 at http://www.baltimorehealth.org/info/2009_01_13.SafeStreetsEval.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.baltimorehealth.org/info/2009_01_13.SafeStreetsEval.pdf

Shelf Number: 124459

Keywords:
Ceasefire Program
Gun Violence (Baltimore)
Guns
Youth Violence (Balitmore)

Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Title: Model Law against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition

Summary: The Firearms Model Law has been developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to assist States in implementing the provisions contained in the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. By distinguishing between mandatory and optional provisions, and suggested provisions stemming from other legal instruments, the Model Law offers flexible solutions adaptable to the needs of each State, whatever its legal tradition and social, economic, cultural and geographical conditions. The Model Law is a voluntary tool, which requires careful adaptation to the specific domestic legal systems in which it is supposed to operate.

Details: Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2011. 182.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2012 at http://www.unodc.org/documents/legal-tools/Model_Law_Firearms_Final.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.unodc.org/documents/legal-tools/Model_Law_Firearms_Final.pdf

Shelf Number: 124568

Keywords:
Arms Trafficking
Firearms
Guns
Legislation

Author: Altindag, Duha T.

Title: Essays on the Economics of Crime

Summary: This dissertation includes three essays on the application of economics to various aspects of crime and criminal activity. The research presented in this dissertation points out a cause and a consequence of crime as well as the possible influence of a law on criminal activity. The first chapter provides an introduction to the ways that economic reasoning can be used to analyze criminal activity. The second chapter examines individuals‟ gun carrying activity in the presence of concealed weapon laws. The results suggest that allowing law-abiding individuals to carry concealed handguns is more likely to reduce crime than to increase it. Chapter 3 investigates the effect of joblessness on criminal activity using an international panel data set. The results indicate that increase in unemployment causes more property crimes. The fourth chapter presents evidence for the existence of a negative externality of crime. Countries that have higher crime rates suffer from the loss of international tourists and tourism revenue. Chapter 5 summarizes the findings of the dissertation, provides concluding remarks, and discusses opportunities for future research in the economics of crime.

Details: Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Department of Economics, 2011. 105p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 30, 2012 at: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-05152011-212114/unrestricted/altindag_diss.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-05152011-212114/unrestricted/altindag_diss.pdf

Shelf Number: 124769

Keywords:
Concealed Weapons
Costs of Crime
Crime and Economics
Guns
Property Crimes
Unemployment and Crime

Author: Bayne, Sarah

Title: Preventing and Reducing Armed Violence. Development Plans and Assistance

Summary: The paper provides an overview of some of the emerging lessons learned about how armed violence reduction and prevention (AVR) priorities can be integrated into local, national and donor development plans and assistance strategies. AVR is driven by the humanitarian and development imperative to accelerate global development by reducing the global burden of armed violence. The AVR approach responds to contemporary challenges of violence by addressing the risk factors for crime, interpersonal violence and conflict. Local and national governments experience armed violence most directly and have pioneered a range of preventive responses, often with the support of local communities. The donor community and UN system are also increasingly aware of the potential of targeted preventive measures. They have begun to adapt their strategies and instruments to better assist countries in their struggle to prevent and reduce all forms of violence.

Details: New York: United Nations Development Program; Oslo: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2010.

Source: Internet Resource: Background Paper, Oslo Conference on Armed Violence
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
20-22 April 2010: Accessed April 2, 2012 at: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24294

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24294

Shelf Number: 124798

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Economic Development
Guns
Poverty Reduction
Violence Prevention

Author: Gilgen, Elisabeth

Title: Measuring and Monitoring Armed Violence. Goals, Targets and Indicators

Summary: The paper sets out a framework of goals, targets and indicators to track armed violence, and to support prevention and reduction activities. The framework is based on extensive consultations with UN agencies and specialists in various disciplines. The three overall goals are to (1) reduce the number of people physically harmed from armed violence; (2) reduce the number of people and groups affected by armed violence, and (3) strengthen institutional responses to prevent and reduce armed violence. The paper also introduces eight specific targets that flow from these goals, and proposes specific indicators to measure progress towards achieving them. Taken together, the framework offers a means of comparing and measuring patterns and trends in armed violence to 2015 and beyond.

Details: New York: United Nations Development Program; Oslo: Norwegian Ministry of Justice, 2010. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Background Paper, Oslo Conference on Armed Violence
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
20-22 April 2010: Accessed April 2, 2012 at: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24290

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24290

Shelf Number: 124800

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Guns
Violence Prevention

Author: Papachristos, Andrew V.

Title: Social Networks and the Risk of Gunshot Injury

Summary: Objectives: This study investigates the relationship between an individual’s position in a social network and the probability of being a victim of a fatal or non-fatal gunshot wound. Methods: This study combines detailed observational data from the police with records of fatal and non-fatal gunshot injuries among 763 individuals in Boston’s Cape Verdean community. After creating the social networks of these high-risk individuals, logistic regression is used to uncover the relationship between the odds of being a victim of a gunshot injury and various network characteristics. Results: The probability of gunshot victimization is directly related to one’s network distance to other gunshot victims - i.e., the closer someone is to a gunshot victim, the more likely that person is to also be a gunshot victim. This social distance to gunshot victims operates above and beyond other types of exposure to gun violence. Younger individuals, gang members, and individuals with a high density of gang members in their interpersonal networks are also at increased risk of being a gunshot victim. Conclusions: Risk of gunshot injuries in urban areas is more greatly concentrated than previously thought. While individual and neighborhood level risk factors contribute to the aggregate rates of violence, this study suggests that most of the actual risk of gun violence is concentrated in a small social network of identifiable individuals.

Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 2011. 19p.

Source: Working Paper Series: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2012 at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1772772

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1772772

Shelf Number: 125042

Keywords:
Guns
Injury
Social Networks
Victimization

Author: Cano, Ignacio

Title: Living Without Arms? Evaluation of the Arms-Free Municipalities Project: An Experience in Risk-Tasking in a Risky Contect

Summary: In El Salvador, it is estimated that around half a million firearms are in circulation—arms that cause 80 of every 100 murders that take place in one of the most homicide-prone countries in Latin America, with a rate of over 55 for every 100,000 inhabitants. With exceedingly lax legislation and a segment of the population imbued of an arms culture that considers their need to be armed an indisputable right, few are the practical initiatives undertaken in an attempt to correct this situation. The National Council on Public Security (CNSP), with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), put its stakes on a project that was aimed at improving human development in two pilot municipalities—San Martín and Ilopango—through a reduction in armed violence. The project had been conceived of with a dual strategic perspective: on the one hand, to serve as a model to other municipalities, particularly within the country, but also abroad, and on the other, to stimulate greater debate in favour of putting legal limits on the carrying of firearms at the national level. Two years later, several things have shifted in El Salvador regarding the controversial topic of arms. All public opinion polls concur in pointing toward greater public rejection of the carrying of arms in public places (now around 90%), and even of the possession of firearms. The Firearms Law was just amended by the Legislative Assembly at the behest of the National Commission on Citizen Security and Social Peace, created recently by the President of El Salvador, where different political forces, university rectors, churches and private enterprise are represented. The amendment broadened the prohibition on carrying arms to include plazas, parks and petrol stations, and now provides the option of decreeing spatial and temporal moratoriums in determined places and municipalities. The National Commission also recommended that the President analyze the possibility of, at a minimum, extending the Arms- Free Municipalities Project to the 20 localities in the country with the highest rates of violence and crime. No doubt these are small steps, but significant ones, on the road toward prohibiting the carrying of firearms by civilians in public places in El Salvador. Has the Arms-Free Municipalities project been a total success? Although we do not conceal our pride at the results attained by this pilot project, it would be imprudent, even presumptuous, to attribute to this initiative all the progress made over the last two years in building public awareness and in limiting firearms in El Salvador. No, the Arms-Free Municipalities project, with its bright spots and dark spots, its hits and its misses, is not the only thing responsible for these achievements. But, no doubt it has contributed to sparking new local and national debate, not only on the proliferation of firearms, but also on the right way to design the approach to a problem—escalating violence, crime and insecurity—whose magnitude already borders on the tragic. Likewise, it has also contributed to progress in other essential aspects, such as local management of citizen security. The implementation of this initiative and, especially, the astonishing finding of a notable reduction in homicides (47%) in San Martín, in an almost generalized context of mounting lethal violence, has encouraged other localities such as Santa Tecla, Santa Ana and, lately, San Salvador, the capital, to undertake similar initiatives. The people governing these municipalities, against the current in a strongly centralized and centralist country, where the vision and resources for local management of security are almost nonexistent, have begun to take the reins of a politically sensitive issue.

Details: San Salvador, El Salvador: United Nations Development Programme, 2008. 64p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 27, 2012 at: http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,19/Itemid,56/?mosmsg=Est%E1+intentando+acceder+desde+un+dominio+no+autorizado.+%28www.google.com%29

Year: 2008

Country: El Salvador

URL: http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,19/Itemid,56/?mosmsg=Est%E1+intentando+acceder+desde+un+dominio+no+autorizado.+%28www.google.com%29

Shelf Number: 125071

Keywords:
Gun Control
Guns
Homicides
Violence (El Salvador)

Author: Butts, Jeffrey

Title: Youth, Guns, and the Juvenile Justice System

Summary: The falling rate of violent crime in the United States is not likely to reduce the need for effective policies and programs to address youth gun violence. The rate of firearm deaths among American youth is still one of the highest in the world. In the coming years, all levels of government, the private sector, and communities will require sound information and practical guidance as they try to reduce gun violence among young people. Funded by the Joyce Foundation, this report reviews recent trends in youth gun violence, policy responses to gun violence, and the growing variety of data resources for research on the effects of gun laws. The report is designed to inform discussions about these issues and to aid in the development of future research efforts.

Details: Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 2002. 30p.

Source: Research Report: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2012 at http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410417_youth_guns.pdf

Year: 2002

Country: United States

URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410417_youth_guns.pdf

Shelf Number: 125095

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Juvenile Justice System
Juvenile Offenders
Violent Crime

Author: Santos, Rita

Title: Women and Gun Violence: Key Findings from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), San Salvador (El Salvador) and Maputo (Mozambique)

Summary: Since men constitute the majority of those who use and are victimised by guns worldwide, prevention and combat policies and programmes have been aimed almost exclusively at men and boys, paying scant attention to the roles and impacts of gun violence on women and girls. However, the continuum of violence experienced by women and girls in these contexts is a synthesis of the main social ingredients of violence and its cultural basis. Thus, alongside sound knowledge of men’s and boys’ involvement in gun violence, a clear understanding of women’s and girls’ needs, rights and vulnerabilities is essential to reduce gun violence in general. This report aims to contribute to fill this gap. This report will concentrate on the analysis of the typologies and motivations for the involvement of women and girls in armed violence (as direct agents who actively participate, or indirect agents who play supporting roles such as in the transportation of firearms, drugs or information), and identify the importance and symbolism which they attribute to firearms; the examination of the direct consequences (death and injuries) and some of the indirect effects of armed violence on the lives of women (guns as instruments of intimidation and sources of insecurity in situations of domestic violence as well as determinants for the condition of survivors or relatives of lethal victims of gun violence); the initiatives, formal and informal, led by women in these contexts in response to gun violence, namely efforts to improve arms control regulations.

Details: Brussels: Peace Studies Group, 2011. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed july 10, 2012 at: http://www.ifp-ew.eu/pdf/IfPEW20110501WomenAndGunViolence.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.ifp-ew.eu/pdf/IfPEW20110501WomenAndGunViolence.pdf

Shelf Number: 125532

Keywords:
Arms Control
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides
Violent Crime

Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Title: Gun Control: States' Laws and Requirements for Concealed Carry Permits Vary across the Nation

Summary: The number of states allowing concealed carry permits is increasing, and states broadly differ in eligibility requirements and the extent to which they have reciprocity agreements. In June 2002, 7 states and the District of Columbia prohibited the concealed carry of handguns. As of March 2012, individuals can carry concealed handguns in all but 1 state (Illinois) and the District of Columbia. “Shall-issue” states—in which issuing authorities are required to issue a permit to an applicant that fulfills the objective statutory criteria— generally issue more permits than states with greater discretion in granting permits (“may-issue” states). Because of differing eligibility requirements, some states would issue a permit to an applicant, while others would not. For example, some states define what constitutes a disqualifying felony differently or have different firearms training requirements. As of March 2012, 39 states that issue permits and Vermont (permits not required) recognize concealed carry permits from other states. Of the 9 states that do not grant reciprocity, 8 are may-issue states. Issuing authorities from all 9 states included in GAO’s case study stated that they take action to confirm an individual’s continued eligibility to hold a permit as part of the permit renewal process; and issuing authorities from 8 of these 9 states reported using mechanisms to monitor resident permit holders’ continued eligibility between issuance and renewal. In these 8 states, issuing authorities told GAO that they are notified if a permit holder commits a disqualifying act within their state through law enforcement or state databases. After detecting a disqualifying criminal offense or other disqualifying factors, each of the 9 states begins the revocation process by notifying the permit holder. The states have varying retrieval processes, and 3 of them have authority to impose a penalty for failure to surrender a revoked permit or continuing to possess one. Law enforcement in the 9 case study states that issue permits told GAO that when encountering permits, such as during routine traffic stops, they visually check them and can take additional steps, such as checking state databases, as needed, to determine whether the permits are current and valid. Law enforcement in the 9 case study states that issue permits told GAO that when encountering permits, such as during routine traffic stops, they visually check them and can take additional steps, such as checking state databases, as needed, to determine whether the permits are current and valid. According to state reporting to GAO, there were at least 8 million active permits to carry concealed handguns in the United States as of December 31, 2011. States and local authorities control the issuance of concealed carry permits. Applicants who wish to obtain such permits are required to meet certain state eligibility requirements, such as minimum age and the lack of a felony conviction. States also decide which other states’ permits to honor. Typically, states enter into reciprocity agreements that establish which out of- state permit holders can carry concealed firearms within each state. In recent years, Members of Congress have introduced legislation that would require each issuing state to recognize any permit. GAO was asked to provide information on the status of concealed carry permitting. This report describes (1) the extent to which states allow concealed carry permits, and how select states’ eligibility requirements and recognition of other states’ permits differ, (2) what processes select states use to help ensure they revoke permits when holders no longer meet eligibility requirements, and (3) how law enforcement officials in select states determine whether permits they encounter are current and valid. GAO gathered information on the number of permits, laws, issuing authorities, and reciprocity agreements for 50 states and the District of Columbia, and conducted a case study on 9 states that issue permits. GAO selected these states to reflect differences among states’ eligibility requirements, state reciprocity of permits, and permit issuing processes; the results cannot be generalized across all states but provide a broad understanding of the different requirements and processes states utilized in issuing permits.

Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2012. 90p.

Source: Internet Resource: GAO-12-717: Accessed July 18, 2012 at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592552.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592552.pdf

Shelf Number: 125663

Keywords:
Concealed Carry Permits
Gun Control (U.S.)
Gun Control Legislation
Gun Control Policy
Guns

Author: City of Albany Gun Violence Task Force

Title: Final Report to the Common Council

Summary: With the enactment of an ordinance in July, 2007, the City of Albany’s Gun Violence Task Force was formed “to research and develop strategies to reduce gun violence.” The Task Force was comprised of thirteen voting members, whose work was to be completed within one year. The Task Force was specifically charged to: o prepare a report on the number and types of gun-related offenses, with as much detail as possible, in the City of Albany from the year 2000 to the present; o compare the number and types of incidents to at least five other municipalities of similar size; o research and report on programs used successfully by other municipalities to reduce gunrelated violence and the approximate cost of such programs. The Task Force itself specified a two-fold mission of assessment and recommendation. o To the end of assessment, it is our purpose: 1. to ascertain the root causes of gun violence; 2. to examine the manifestations of gun violence; and 3. to engage in dialogue with the people concerning gun violence. o To the end of recommendation, it is our purpose: 1. to identify resources to address gun violence; 2. to suggest a strategy to alleviate gun violence; and 3. to recommend programs to combat gun violence. With this report, the Task Force fulfills its mandates and completes its work, with the hope that the information offered herein will prove useful to the City as it formulates initiatives to reduce gun violence. The report includes four principal parts. First we summarize the organization of the Task Force and its work. Then we provide an overview of the gun violence problem, including a brief review of the causes of gun violence, a consideration of the role of street gangs in gun violence, and a discussion of the supply of crime guns. Third, we summarize information on gun violence in Albany. Finally, we offer recommendations that, as a set, are based on several strategies, and which include multiple programs, identifying existing and potential resources wherever we were able to do so. We have not included, nor were we asked to formulate, specific financing packages for recommended infrastructure or programming. The Task Force understood its role to be one of recommendation and not implementation. Decisions about the priority accorded to preventing and controlling gun violence, and the allocation of public resources, are properly those of the elected leadership of the City.

Details: Albany, NY: City of Albany, 2009. 281p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 31, 2012 at: http://www.albanyny.gov/_files/Gun%20Violence%20Task%20Force%20Final%20Report.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: United States

URL: http://www.albanyny.gov/_files/Gun%20Violence%20Task%20Force%20Final%20Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 125819

Keywords:
Gun Violence (New York)
Guns
Street Gangs
Violent Crime

Author: U.S. House. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Title: The Department of Justice’s Operation Fast and Furious: Fueling Cartel Violence

Summary: The previous joint staff report entitled The Department of Justice’s Operation Fast and Furious: Accounts of ATF Agents chronicled Operation Fast and Furious, a reckless program conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the courageous ATF agents who came forward to expose it. Operation Fast and Furious made unprecedented use of a dangerous investigative technique known as “gunwalking.” Rather than intervene and seize the illegally purchased firearms, ATF’s Phoenix Field Division allowed known straw purchasers to walk away with the guns, over and over again. As a result, the weapons were transferred to criminals and Mexican Drug Cartels. This report explores the effect of Operation Fast and Furious on Mexico. Its lethal drug cartels obtained AK-47 variants, Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifles, .38 caliber revolvers, and FN Five-seveNs from Arizona gun dealers who were cooperating with the ATF by continuing to sell to straw purchasers identified in Operation Fast and Furious. In late 2009, ATF officials stationed in Mexico began to notice a large volume of guns appearing there that were traced to the ATF’s Phoenix Field Division. These weapons were increasingly recovered in great numbers from violent crime scenes. ATF intelligence analysts alerted Darren Gil, Attaché to Mexico, and Carlos Canino, Deputy Attaché, about the abnormal number of weapons. Gil and Canino communicated their worries to leadership in Phoenix and Washington, D.C., only to be brushed aside. Furthermore, ATF personnel in Arizona denied ATF personnel in Mexico access to crucial information about the case, even though the operation directly involved their job duties and affected their host country. Rather than share information, senior leadership within both ATF and the Department of Justice (DOJ) assured their representatives in Mexico that everything was “under control.” The growing number of weapons recovered in Mexico, however, indicated otherwise. Two recoveries of large numbers of weapons in November and December 2009 definitively demonstrated that Operation Fast and Furious weapons were heading to Mexico. In fact, to date, there have been 48 different recoveries of weapons in Mexico linked to Operation Fast and Furious. ATF officials in Mexico continued to raise the alarm over the burgeoning number of weapons. By October 2010, the amount of seized and recovered weapons had “maxed out” space in the Phoenix Field Division evidence vault.1 Nevertheless, ATF and DOJ failed to share crucial details of Operation Fast and Furious with either their own employees stationed in Mexico or representatives of the Government of Mexico. ATF senior leadership allegedly feared that any such disclosure would compromise their investigation. Instead, ATF and DOJ leadership’s reluctance to share information may have only prolonged the flow of weapons from this straw purchasing ring into Mexico. ATF leadership finally informed the Mexican office that the investigation would be shut down as early as July 2010. Operation Fast and Furious, however, continued through the rest of 2010. It ended only after U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered in December 2010 with weapons linked to this investigation. Only then did the ATF officials in Mexico discover the true nature of Operation Fast and Furious. Unfortunately, Mexico and the United States will have to live with the consequences of this program for years to come.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Congress, 2011. 60p.

Source: Internet Resource: Joint Staff Report: Accessed August 11, 2012 at: http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FINAL_FINAL.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FINAL_FINAL.pdf

Shelf Number: 125969

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Mexican Cartels
Operation Fast and Furious (U.S.; Mexico)
Organized Crime
Weapons

Author: U.S. House. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Title: The Department of Justice’s Operation Fast and Furious: Accounts of ATF Agents

Summary: This report is the first in a series regarding Operation Fast and Furious. Possible future reports and hearings will likely focus on the actions of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, the decisions faced by gun shop owners (FFLs) as a result of ATF’s actions, and the remarkably ill-fated decisions made by Justice Department officials in Washington, especially within the Criminal Division and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. This first installment focuses on ATF’s misguided approach of letting guns walk. The report describes the agents’ outrage about the use of gunwalking as an investigative technique and the continued denials and stonewalling by DOJ and ATF leadership. It provides some answers as to what went wrong with Operation Fast and Furious. Further questions for key ATF and DOJ decision makers remain unanswered. For example, what leadership failures within the Department of Justice allowed this program to thrive? Who will be held accountable and when?

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Congress, 2011. 51p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 13, 2012 at: http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ATF_Report.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ATF_Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 126010

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Mexican Cartels
Operation Fast and Furious (U.S.; Mexico)
Organized Crime
Weapons

Author: Krouse, William J.

Title: Gun Control Legislation

Summary: Congress has debated the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition, with strong advocates arguing for and against greater gun control. In the wake of the July 20, 2012, Aurora, CO, theater mass shooting, in which 12 people were shot to death and 58 wounded (7 of them critically) by a lone gunman, it is likely that there will be calls in the 112th Congress to reconsider a 1994 ban on semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices that expired in September 2004. There were similar calls to ban such feeding devices (see S. 436/H.R. 1781) following the January 8, 2011, Tucson, AZ, mass shooting, in which 6 people were killed and 14 wounded, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was grievously wounded. The 112th Congress continues to consider the implications of Operation Fast and Furious and allegations that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) mishandled that Phoenix, AZ-based gun trafficking investigation. On June 28, 2012, the House passed a resolution (H.Res. 711) citing Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his failure to produce additional, subpoenaed documents related to Operation Fast and Furious to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. On May 18, 2012, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2013 (H.R. 4310), which amends a provision that limits the Secretary of Defense’s authority to regulate firearms privately held by members of the Armed Forces off-base. On May 10, 2012, the House passed a Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill (H.R. 5326) that would fund ATF for FY2013 and, on April 19, 2012, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reported a similar bill (S. 2323). On April 17, 2012, the House passed the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012 (H.R. 4089), a bill that would require agencies that manage federal public lands to facilitate access to and use of those lands for the purposes of recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting with certain exceptions set out in statute. Language to a similar effect was included in the FY2013 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (H.R. 6091), which the House Committee on Appropriations reported on July 10, 2012. On November 16, 2011, the House passed a bill (H.R. 822) that would establish a greater degree of reciprocity between states that issue concealed carry permits for handguns. On October 11, 2011, the House passed a Veterans’ Benefits Act (H.R. 2349) that would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs from determining a beneficiary to be mentally incompetent for the purposes of gun control, unless such a determination were made by a judicial authority based upon a finding that the beneficiary posed a danger to himself or others. In May 2011, firearms-related amendments to bills reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT Act were considered (H.R. 1800, S. 1038, and S. 990), but they were not passed. This report also includes discussion of other salient and recurring gun control issues that have generated past or current congressional interest. Those issues include (1) screening firearms background check applicants against terrorist watch lists, (2) combating gun trafficking and straw purchases, (3) reforming the regulation of federally licensed gun dealers, (4) requiring background checks for private firearms transfers at gun shows, (5) more-strictly regulating certain firearms previously defined in statute as “semiautomatic assault weapons,” and (6) banning or requiring the registration of certain long-range .50 caliber rifles, which are commonly referred to as “sniper” rifles. To set these and other emerging issues in context, this report provides basic firearms-related statistics, an overview of federal firearms law, and a summary of legislative action in the 111th and 112th Congresses.

Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2012. 112p.

Source: Internet Resource: RL32842: Accessed August 27, 2012 at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32842.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32842.pdf

Shelf Number: 126119

Keywords:
Gun Control (U.S.)
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Aneja, Abhay

Title: The Impact of Right to Carry Laws and the NRC Report: The Latest Lessons for the Empirical Evaluation of Law and Policy

Summary: For over a decade, there has been a spirited academic debate over the impact on crime of laws that grant citizens the presumptive right to carry concealed handguns in public – so-called right-to-carry (RTC) laws. In 2005, the National Research Council (NRC) offered a critical evaluation of the “More Guns, Less Crime” hypothesis using county-level crime data for the period 1977-2000. 17 of the 18 NRC panel members essentially concluded that the existing research was inadequate to conclude that RTC laws increased or decreased crime. One member of the panel, though, concluded that the NRC's panel data regressions supported the conclusion that RTC laws decreased murder. We evaluate the NRC evidence, and improve and expand on the report’s county data analysis by analyzing an additional six years of county data as well as state panel data for the period 1977-2006. We also present evidence using both a more plausible version of the Lott and Mustard specification, as well as our own preferred specification (which, unlike the Lott and Mustard model used in the NRC report, does control for rates of incarceration and police). While we have considerable sympathy with the NRC’s majority view about the difficulty of drawing conclusions from simple panel data models, we disagree with the NRC report’s judgment that cluster adjustments to correct for serial correlation are not needed. Our randomization tests show that without such adjustments the Type 1 error soars to 44 – 75 percent. In addition, the conclusion of the dissenting panel member that RTC laws reduce murder has no statistical support. Our paper highlights some important questions to consider when using panel data methods to resolve questions of law and policy effectiveness. Although we agree with the NRC’s cautious conclusion regarding the effects of RTC laws, we buttress this conclusion by showing how sensitive the estimated impact of RTC laws is to different data periods, the use of state versus county data, particular specifications, and the decision to control for state trends. Overall, the most consistent, albeit not uniform, finding to emerge from both the state and county panel data models conducted over the entire 1977-2006 period with and without state trends and using three different specifications is that aggravated assault rises when RTC laws are adopted. For every other crime category, there is little or no indication of any consistent RTC impact on crime. It will be worth exploring whether other methodological approaches and/or additional years of data will confirm the results of this panel-data analysis.

Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2012. 93p.

Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper No. 18294: Accessed September 5, 2012 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w18294

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w18294

Shelf Number: 126259

Keywords:
Crime Control
Gun Control
Guns
Right-to-Carry Laws
Weaspons

Author: Nobles, Matthew Robin

Title: Evaluating Philadelphia's Gun Court: Implications for Crime Reduction and Specialized Jurisprudence

Summary: We evaluated the City of Philadelphia's specialized problem-solving gun court. The gun court program began in 2005, and features mandatory treatment elements in addition to enhanced processing celerity and intensive supervision protocols, with the ultimate goal of impacting aggregate levels of gun violence in Philadelphia. Although gun policy research from criminology and other fields has examined a variety of gun violence interventions with different levels of success, to date there are no peer-reviewed evaluations of a gun court program in the literature. Meanwhile, gun courts continue their expansion into jurisdictions of all sizes with varying levels of social problems, from Providence, Rhode Island (home to the nation's first gun court in 1994) to relatively newer programs including New York City (2003) and Boston (2006). This study first describes Philadelphia’s Gun Court program, reviews deterrence theory broadly implicated in anti-crime programs, and recounts what works and what’s promising in anti-gun interventions. It then presents an interrupted time series analysis to determine whether there are statistically significant treatment effects observed in Philadelphia after the intervention. The analysis includes a comparison site (Pittsburgh) and non-gun crime series while implementing the proper controls for autocorrelation, seasonality, and non-stationarity. Results indicate that there are no statistically significant declines in the aggregate rates of four gun-related crime categories in Philadelphia in the 24 months after the introduction of the court program, although this finding does not necessarily preclude individual-level effects for offenders processed through gun court. Implications for gun policy and problem-solving courts are discussed.

Details: Tallahassee, FL: University of Florica, 2008. 122p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 13, 2012 at: http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0022084/nobles_m.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL: http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0022084/nobles_m.pdf

Shelf Number: 126326

Keywords:
Gun Control Policy
Gun Courts (Philadelphia)
Gun Violence
Guns
Problem-Solving Courts

Author: Kurtz, Ellen

Title: Philadelphia's Gun Court: Process and Outcome Evaluation Executive Summary

Summary: Philadelphia’s gun court opened its doors on January 10, 2005. This report describes the results of the process and outcome evaluation conducted over the past 18 months. The evaluation of Philadelphia’s gun court focuses on two distinct pieces: the court itself and the probation department’s intensive supervision program. The evaluation of the court addresses questions about case processing. The evaluation of the probation program examines the impact of gun court supervision on VUFA offenders.

Details: Philadelphia, PA: The Philadelphia Courts, 2007. 5p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 20, 2012 at http://www.courts.phila.gov/pdf/criminal-reports/Gun-Court-Evaluation-report-executive-summary.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United States

URL: http://www.courts.phila.gov/pdf/criminal-reports/Gun-Court-Evaluation-report-executive-summary.pdf

Shelf Number: 126385

Keywords:
Evaluative Studies
Gun Courts (Philadelphia)
Guns
Problem-Solving Courts

Author: Webster, Daniel W.

Title: The Case For Gun Policy Reforms In America

Summary: Each year, more than 31,000 people in the United States die as a result of gunshot wounds. In 2010, firearms were used in almost 338,000 nonfatal violent crimes and more than 73,000 people were treated for gun injuries. But, the true toll of gun violence is not measured in numbers. The victims of gun violence are young people who die too soon, families left to grieve, and community members who feel unsafe in their neighborhoods. According to The Case for Gun Policy Reforms in America, a new report from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, gun violence in America can be prevented with common sense policy solutions that are widely supported by the American public. The report summarizes existing gun policy research by Johns Hopkins and other institutions. Among several recommendations, the report argues that ownership restrictions should be broadened to include adults convicted of misdemeanors and juveniles convicted of serious crimes in juvenile court – two groups that are more likely to use a gun to commit a crime in the future. Background checks should be required of all gun purchasers to ensure that prohibited persons do not gain access to dangerous weapons. Under current federal law, 40 percent of gun sales are not subject to background checks. Better regulation and oversight of gun dealers can also prevent firearms from being resold illegally to criminals. The nature of guns is also changing. Better regulation and oversight of military-style assault weapons and large capacity magazines – magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition – can lessen the impact of mass shootings, in which the perpetrator is more likely to use an assault weapon and high-capacity magazine. There is broad public support for improved gun policies to restrict gun ownership by potentially dangerous people. A recent Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Luntz Global poll showed that 82 percent of gun owners supported mandatory background checks for all firearm sales. Another poll showed board support for measures to either expand current gun prohibitions for potentially dangerous people or enhance accountability, so that prohibited individuals cannot access a firearm. The same poll found that 58 percent of adults surveyed supported a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Details: Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2012. 19p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 26, 2012 at: http://www.joycefdn.org/assets/1/7/WhitePaper102512_CGPR.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.joycefdn.org/assets/1/7/WhitePaper102512_CGPR.pdf

Shelf Number: 126808

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence (U.S.)
Guns
Violent Crime

Author: Violence Policy Center

Title: "Never Walk Alone" How Concealed Carry Laws Boost Gun Industry Sales

Summary: The lethal shooting of unarmed, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman is the predictable result of an aggressive decades-long campaign by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to promote lax concealed carry laws and attendant "Shoot First" laws that boost gun industry sales according to a new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report, “Never Walk Alone”--How Concealed Carry Laws Boost Gun Industry Sales." Faced with a decades-long decline in household gun ownership, the firearms industry has worked to exploit these NRA-backed laws to re-sell old customers and entice new ones. While in their public promotion of lax concealed weapons laws the gun lobby and gun industry rarely mention the financial benefits such laws afford gun sellers, in industry publications they are far more open. Included in the VPC report are numerous color examples of gun industry advertisements representing a wide range of manufacturers. An ad that appeared in the December 2011 issue of Gun World encapsulates the mindset of concealed carry: "Regardless of your location, your dress or the season, NO gun is easier to carry or conceal than a North American Arms mini-revolver. Is it an effective deterrent? Would you want to be shot with one?" The ad warns the reader "don’t leave home without one" and adds, "Remember Rule #1: Have a gun!" The study notes that despite the national controversy over the death of Trayvon Martin, the U.S. Senate may soon take up legislation that would expand the rights of concealed carry vigilantes like George Zimmerman to carry their handguns outside their home states and across the nation. Two bills (S. 2188 and S. 2213) have recently been introduced that would significantly expand the ability of concealed carry permit holders to carry their loaded guns nationwide. The study concludes that "while pro-gun advocates will inevitably voice their support of these bills in terms of self-defense and individual rights, truly the greatest beneficiary of national concealed carry stands to be the gun industry."

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2012. 19p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 12, 2012 at http://www.vpc.org/studies/ccwnra.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vpc.org/studies/ccwnra.pdf

Shelf Number: 126929

Keywords:
Concealed Carry Permits
Concealed Weapons
Firearms
Gun Sales
Guns

Author: Willits, Dale

Title: Predictors of Firearm Usage in Violent Crimes: Assessing the Importance of Individual, Situational, and Contextual Factors

Summary: The New Mexico Statistical Analysis Center (NM SAC) received funding from the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) to complete a study examining the degree to which person, incident, and structural characteristics predict firearm usage in violent crimes. Given the significant threat to public safety that firearm crimes pose, a better understanding of the dynamics of firearm crimes is relevant not just to researchers, but to law enforcement and to the community at large. Recognizing this, Federal, State, local and private funds have been allocated in support of a range of law enforcement initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence in communities across the country. Project Safe Neighborhoods, initiated in 2001, and its predecessor, the Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI) are notable examples of federal initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence by funding multi-agency intervention, prevention and enforcement strategies. Other interventions include the creation of gun courts and mandatory sentencing laws designed to increase penalties for firearm use and the unlawful carrying of firearms (Committee on Law and Justice, 2004). The rationale for these and other initiatives builds on the importance of reducing firearm violence in the broad interest of public safety. A large body of research on firearms has addressed the consequences of firearm usage in crimes, and reinforces the public safety rationale that guides firearm crime reduction initiatives. These studies suggest that firearm usage increases crime-related injury severity and mortality (Brennan and Moore, 2009; Hemenway, 2004; May et al., 1995; McGonigal et al., 1993). For example, Brennan and Moore (2009: 218) note that “firearms increase the likelihood of death by 40 times” compared to incidents not involving any weapon. Conversely, knives increase the likelihood of death by 4 times, highlighting the particularly serious nature of firearm violence (Brennan and Moore, 2009). Law enforcement and the courts clearly take gun crimes seriously. Studies have shown that crime clearance rates are higher for firearm crimes compared to those for crimes that do not involve firearms (Roberts, 2008). Additionally, sentences are generally longer for crimes that involve firearms compared to those that do not (Bushway and Piehl, 2011; Lizotte and Zatz, 1986). Though it is important to study the consequences of and systemic responses to firearm usage, we argue that it is also important to study the predictors of firearm usage in crimes. In fact, a better understanding of the characteristics that predict firearm use can help frame effective intervention. Most firearm crime reduction interventions are reactive—e.g., firearm enhancements to criminal sentences, targeted policing in areas with high rates of firearm violence, gun buy-back programs, etc. However, if we can identify some of the incident-level characteristics that increase the odds of firearm violence, criminal justice professionals might be able to craft preventative policies that aim to stop firearm violence before it happens.

Details: Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico, Institute for Social Research, 2012. 22p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 17, 2013 at: http://www.jrsa.org/ibrrc/background-status/New_Mexico/NM_FirearmUsage.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.jrsa.org/ibrrc/background-status/New_Mexico/NM_FirearmUsage.pdf

Shelf Number: 127343

Keywords:
Firearms and Crime
Gun Violence
Guns
Violent Crime

Author: Karp, Aaron

Title: Estimating Law Enforcement Firearms

Summary: Law enforcement small arms present a contradiction of visibility and scarcity. Of the roughly 875 million firearms in the world, in virtually all large countries law enforcement weapons are the most visible in public. They are also the smallest major category of small arms, covering some 25 million firearms, compared to approximately 200 million military and 650 million civilian guns worldwide (Small Arms Survey, 2007). The agencies covered in this analysis include law enforcement agencies responsible for domestic security, i.e. police, gendarmes, official paramilitaries, and smaller agencies such as customs, game management, and prisons. What is easily observed individually can be opaque collectively. Few law enforcement agencies have a tradition of transparency, and official data on personnel and weapons inventories is rarely available to the public. When data is scarce, estimation is the basic approach to establishing law enforcement small arms totals. Estimation—based on the extrapolation of weapons-per-officer ratios from known cases and total numbers of officers—reveals that law enforcement firearms are distributed unevenly. Countries with the largest police forces typically appear to have one to two firearms per sworn officer. In other countries the ratio can drop to much less, e.g. 0.3 for England and Wales and 0.6 for the Central African Republic.

Details: Geneva, SWIT: Small Arms Survey, 2012. 4p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 23, 2013 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-24.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-24.pdf

Shelf Number: 127368

Keywords:
Guns
Police Firearms
Weapons

Author: Jaynes, Natalie

Title: Flying Below the Radar? The Armed Private Security Sector in South Africa

Summary: This paper examines the South African private security sector, with particular focus on the firearms holdings of South African private security companies (PSCs). The central question that this paper seeks to answer is whether PSCs in South Africa are a source of illicit firearms and ammunition, and contribute to levels of firearm death and injury. This key question is addressed in six parts, commencing with a scene-setting discussion on international benchmarks for PSC firearms and ammunition controls. Against this backdrop, the paper then investigates the current state of South African legislation and regulations on firearms and ammunition controls for PSCs, and the extent to which these relate to and comply with international standards. The paper focuses on the South African private security sector and explores to what extent this sector utilises firearms/ammunition. The following section then attempts to gauge the extent to which relevant legislation and regulatory frameworks are being implemented, enforced and adhered to within the private security sector. The paper then examines the extent and dynamics of firearms and ammunition diversion and misuse from/by the private security sector.

Details: Pinelands, South Africa: Open Society Foundation for South Africa, 2012. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2013 at: http://osf.org.za/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CJI-Occasional-Paper-11.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: South Africa

URL: http://osf.org.za/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CJI-Occasional-Paper-11.pdf

Shelf Number: 127538

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Illicit Firearms
Private Security (South Africa)

Author: Sugarmann, Josh

Title: Assault Pistols: The Next Wave

Summary: Not since the late 1980s and early 1990s has there been such a wide variety of assault pistols available for sale on the U.S. civilian market warns the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) study Assault Pistols: The Next Wave (http://www.vpc.org/studies/awpistols.pdf). The study contains more than 20 examples of assault pistols currently marketed in the United States, led by AK-47 and AR-15 pistols that offer assault rifle power in a compact pistol format. Each of the assault pistols detailed in the study would be banned by legislation introduced last week by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The study notes that in addition to next-generation AK-47 and AR-15 assault pistols, assault pistols that were banned by name under the now-expired federal assault weapons ban, such as the UZI pistol, MAC, and Calico, are also being marketed.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2013. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2013 at: http://www.vpc.org/studies/awpistols.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vpc.org/studies/awpistols.pdf

Shelf Number: 127576

Keywords:
Assault Weapons
Firearms
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Frandsen, Ronald J.

Title: Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2010 - Statistical Tables

Summary: Over 118 million applications for firearm transfers or permits were subject to background checks from the inception of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 on March 1, 1994, through December 31, 2010. During this time period, about 2.1 million applications, or 1.8%, were denied (table 1). In 2010, 1.5% of the 10.4 million applications for firearm transfers or permits were denied by the FBI (approximately 73,000) or by state and local agencies (approximately 80,000). The denial rate for applications checked by the FBI (1.2%) was lower than the rate for checks by state and local agencies (1.8%) (table 2). The data in this report were developed from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) Firearms Inquiry Statistics (FIST) program, which collects information on firearm background checks conducted by state and local agencies and combines this information with the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) transaction data. This report presents the overall trends in the estimated number of applications and denials for firearm transfers or permits since the inception of the Brady Act and describes background checks for firearm transfers conducted in 2010. Data include the number of firearm transaction applications checked by state and local agencies and the FBI, the number of applications denied and the reasons for denial, and estimates of applications and denials by each type of approval system. Statistical tables also provide data on appeals of denied applications and arrests for falsified documents.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 13, 2013 at: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/bcft10st.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/bcft10st.pdf

Shelf Number: 127608

Keywords:
Brady Act
Firearms (U.S.)
Gun Control Policy
Gun Ownership
Guns

Author: Children's Defense Fund

Title: Protect Children, Not Guns 2012

Summary: CDF's Protect Children, Not Guns 2012 is a compilation of the most recent and reliable national and state data on gun violence in America. This report provides the latest statistics on firearm deaths by race, age and manner; highlights state gun violence trends and efforts to prevent child access to guns; dispels common myths about guns; and explains the significance of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on gun ownership. In 2008, 2,947 children and teens died from guns in the United States and 2,793 died in 2009 for a total of 5,740—one child or teen every three hours, eight every day, 55 every week for two years. Six times as many children and teens—34,387—suffered nonfatal gun injuries as gun deaths in 2008 and 2009. This is equal to one child or teen every 31 minutes, 47 every day, and 331 children and teens every week.

Details: Washington, DC: Children's Defense Fund, 2012. 54p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 12, 2013 at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/protect-children-not-guns-2012.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/protect-children-not-guns-2012.pdf

Shelf Number: 127912

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Hinton, Rachael

Title: Armed Violence Monitoring Systems

Summary: There is increasing global awareness that accurate and reliable data on the scope, scale, and causes of all forms of armed violence is vital for shaping policy, developing programmatic responses, and monitoring progress. Armed violence is strongly associated with negative development outcomes and slow progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2011, p. 145).1 Over the past few years the realization that the development and security of a wide range of countries, cities, and citizens were threatened by armed violence led to a global agenda for the prevention and reduction of such violence (OECD, 2011, p. 11). This agenda identified a number of entry points and resulted in the engagement of an increasingly diverse spectrum of actors and players, including, for example, in the areas of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, crime prevention, and public health. In the context of their own agendas, various stakeholders acknowledge the importance of applying evidence-based policy-making through the improved measurement and monitoring of armed violence. Some have established mechanisms and tools for monitoring and research, such as observatories (on crime and violence) or armed violence monitoring systems (AVMSs) to better understand the extent and distribution of armed violence in a variety of geographic settings in low-, middle-, and high-income countries (Gilgen and Tracey, 2011).

Details: Geneva, SWIT: Small Arms Survey, 2013. 4 p.

Source: Internet Resource: Small Arms Survey Research Notes • Number 27: Accessed April 5, 2013 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-27.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-27.pdf

Shelf Number: 128283

Keywords:
Armed Violence
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns
Violent Crimes

Author: New York City Council. Task Force to Conmbat Gun Violence

Title: A Report to: New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn

Summary: This report calls for a comprehensive community-based response to gun violence, including recommendations for programs that the City can fund in neighborhoods with the most gun violence as well as state and federal legislation that will make New York and all Americans safer. We are pleased that, under your leadership, over $4 million has already been allocated to begin implementing the Task Force’s recommendations.

Details: New York: New York City Council, 2012. 26p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 1, 2013 at: http://council.nyc.gov/html/pr/gvtfreport.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://council.nyc.gov/html/pr/gvtfreport.pdf

Shelf Number: 128586

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence (New York City, U.S.)
Guns
Violent Crime

Author: Greene, Mark

Title: A Review of Gun Safety Technologies

Summary: When such an issue with deep and powerful cultural resonance as firearms is given the full attention of the nation, the challenges involved with confronting the complex interconnectedness of law, public safety, Constitutional rights, policy, technology, market forces, and other concerns seem only amplified. With careful consideration, however, untangling the various components of the issue is possible, and an investigation of technology can be accomplished with minimal diversion into the other realms. This report examines existing and emerging gun safety technologies and their availability and use to provide a comprehensive perspective on firearms with integrated advanced safety technologies. These firearms are known by various terms such as smart guns, user-authorized handguns, childproof guns, and personalized firearms. A “personalized firearm” can be understood to utilize integrated components that exclusively permit an authorized user or set of users to operate or fire the gun and automatically deactivate it under a set of specific circumstances, reducing the chances of accidental or purposeful use by an unauthorized user. A report published in 2005 entitled Technological Options for User- Authorized Handguns: A Technology-Readiness Assessment discussed this in the context of two defined types of handgun owner: (1) people responsible for public safety (i.e., law-enforcement personnel) and (2) people concerned with personal safety and handgun misuse, particularly by children, in the home (i.e., homeowners).1 The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Committee on User-Authorized Handguns published this report seeking to clarify the technical challenges of developing a reliable user-authorized handgun (UAHG) to reduce certain types of handgun misuse. The goal of this work is to provide an objective, neutral perspective on existing and emerging gun safety technologies and their availability and use today. In assessing what technologies and products exist or may exist in the near future, it is important to clarify what the technologies can and cannot do, to distinguish the difference between fact and fiction, and to manage expectations about how these firearms could reasonably be expected to perform. The material presented here should be considered in a sober manner with the understanding that the use or misuse of any firearm regardless of what technology may or may not be integrated could lead to injury or death.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 2013. 96p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 8, 2013 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/242500.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/242500.pdf

Shelf Number: 129278

Keywords:
Gun Safety (U.S.)
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Nunn, Samuel

Title: The TriggerPro Gun Swab Evaluation: Comparing the Use of a Touch DNA Collection Technique to Firearm Fingerprinting

Summary: From July 2008 through August 2009, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) patrol officers in the East District were supplied with pre-packaged kits, known as TriggerPro ID, for use in collecting possible DNA samples from firearms encountered or confiscated during traffic stops or in response to other criminal incidents. TriggerPro gun swab kits are an example of “touch DNA” technology, which is an evidence gathering approach that attempts to collect viable DNA samples from small quantities of skin cells that remain after an individual has touched objects or places. The traditional method of gathering touch DNA evidence involves using a sterile swab moistened by distilled water. The pilot project was designed to examine the effectiveness of swabbing firearms to collect DNA samples capable of connecting individuals to firearms. The evaluation of TriggerPro is based on a comparison of two forensic methods: fingerprinting firearms versus collecting touch DNA samples from firearms using TriggerPro gun swabs. CCJR evaluation findings are summarized in this report.

Details: Indianapolis: Center for Criminal Justice Research, Indiana University, 2010. 32p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 5, 2013 at: https://archives.iupui.edu/handle/2450/5123

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: https://archives.iupui.edu/handle/2450/5123

Shelf Number: 129541

Keywords:
DNA Fingerprinting
DNA Typing
Firearms
Guns

Author: Roman, John K.

Title: Race, Justifiable Homicide, and Stand Your Ground Laws: Analysis of FBI Supplementary Homicide Report Data

Summary: There are racial disparities throughout the criminal justice system. From stop and frisk, to motor vehicle searches at traffic stops, to sentencing and the application of the death penalty, African Americans disproportionately are contacted by the criminal justice system in myriad ways. Notably, finding a racial disparity is not synonymous with finding racial animus. African Americans are more likely to live in dense, impoverished places, and poverty and segregation are clearly linked to criminal incidence and prevalence. Distinguishing racial animus within racial disparities is exceedingly difficult with existing datasets that do not include such key measures as setting and context. However, it is possible to compare the rates of racial disparity across points of criminal justice system contact. Such an effort could help highlight comparatively disproportionate laws and procedures. One area of possible racial disparity—differences in findings that a homicide was ruled justified—has received little attention and could measurably improve that comparison. This paper addresses three research hypotheses to test for racial disparities in justifiable homicide findings:  Do the rates of justifiable homicides differ by the race of the victim and offender?  If there are racial disparities in the rates homicides are found justified, how does that disparity compare to other racial disparities in criminal justice system processing? and  Are there fact patterns of homicides that increase racial disparities? The purpose of this analysis is to analyze objective national data that could measure the presence of racial disparities in rulings of justifiable homicides. In this analysis, the phrase “racial disparity” is value free: the presence of a racial disparity is a necessary but insufficient condition to identify racial animus in criminal case processing. Racial animus can only be causally identified if all other competing explanations for the existence of a racial disparity can be rejected. Without a prospective, randomized controlled trial—obviously impossible—such causal claims must have caveats. However, a well-designed retrospective study of observational data can identify important correlations between homicide case attributes and the presence of racial disparities. Other research can compare these rates of racial disparities to other racial disparities in the criminal justice system to determine how the rates of racial disparity in self-defense cases differ.

Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2013. 15p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2013 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412873-stand-your-ground.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412873-stand-your-ground.pdf

Shelf Number: 129589

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides (U.S.)
Racial Disparities
Stand Your Ground Laws

Author: Buck, Sarah A.

Title: Teachers with Guns: Firearms Discharges by Schoolteachers, 1980 – 2012

Summary: Following the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the National Rifle Association proposed arming schoolteachers as a means of confronting and preventing such tragedies. The Center’s study identifies 30 instances prior to the proposal that involve a schoolteacher discharging his/her weapon, though not necessarily on school grounds. Most incidents involved intentional, unlawful discharges.

Details: Minneapolis, MN: Center for Homicide Research, 2013. 13p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2013 at: http://homicidecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Teachers-with-Guns-RESEARCH-REPORT-FINAL1.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://homicidecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Teachers-with-Guns-RESEARCH-REPORT-FINAL1.pdf

Shelf Number: 129632

Keywords:
Firearms
Guns
School Safety

Author: Gerney, Arkadi

Title: America Under the Gun: A 50-State Analysis of Gun Violence and Its Link to Weak State Gun Laws

Summary: In the aftermath of mass shootings and other gun-related tragedies, there is often a surge of interest on the part of community leaders, social-science researchers, and elected officials to root out the causes of gun violence in an effort to prevent such tragedies from occurring again. Any study into the causes of gun violence is necessarily complicated, however, as there are innumerable factors that contribute to the nature and prevalence of gun-related violence in any community. Despite this complex web of factors that influence the rate of gun violence, this report finds a clear link between high levels of gun violence and weak state gun laws. Across the key indicators of gun violence that we analyzed, the 10 states with the weakest gun laws collectively have an aggregate level of gun violence that is more than twice as high—104 percent higher, in fact—than the 10 states with the strongest gun laws. The data analyzed in this report relate to the following 10 indicators of gun violence: 1. Overall firearm deaths in 2010 2. Overall firearm deaths from 2001 through 2010 3. Firearm homicides in 2010 4. Firearm suicides in 2010 5. Firearm homicides among women from 2001 through 2010 6. Firearm deaths among children ages 0 to 17, from 2001 through 2010 7. Law-enforcement agents feloniously killed with a firearm from 2002 through 2011 8. Aggravated assaults with a firearm in 2011 9. Crime-gun export rates in 2009 10. Percentage of crime guns with a short “time to crime” in 2009. Using these data, we rank each state according to the rate of each indicator of gun violence and create an overall ranking of the states across all 10 indicators, resulting in an overall state ranking for the prevalence of gun violence. Finally, we compare this overall state gun-violence ranking with a Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence ranking of states based on the strength of their gun laws.

Details: Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2013. 72p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2013 at: http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/AmericaUnderTheGun-3.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/AmericaUnderTheGun-3.pdf

Shelf Number: 129633

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Guns

Author: Violence Policy Center

Title: Blood Money II: How Gun Industry Dollars Fund the NRA

Summary: In the new report, Blood Money II: How Gun Industry Dollars Fund the NRA, the VPC reveals that members of the gun industry have donated between $19.3 million and $60.2 million since 2005. And while the NRA claims on its website that it has no financial ties to the gun industry, its own publications, statements, and even awards ceremonies prove otherwise. One of these "corporate partners" is Freedom Group, manufacturer of the Bushmaster assault rifle used in the mass shooting of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012. Cerberus Capital Management, which owns a 94 percent share in Freedom Group, pledged to sell its investment in the days following the Sandy Hook shooting but has yet to uphold its promise. After ramping up its financial support to a million dollars or more, Freedom Group's leadership was inducted into the NRA's Golden Ring of Freedom at the organization's annual meeting in May 2013. The Golden Ring of Freedom is reserved for those who have "given gifts of cash totaling $1,000,000 or more," according to the NRA. A second inductee was Smith & Wesson, manufacturer of the assault rifle used in the July 2012 mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado that left 12 dead and 58 wounded. In a promotional video on the NRA's website, Smith & Wesson CEO James Debney explains, "I think it's important for everybody to step up and support the NRA. They are our voice." VPC Executive Director and study author Josh Sugarmann, a native of Newtown, states, "Less than five months after the tragedy in Newtown, while families and the entire community still mourned, the NRA was celebrating its financial ties to the manufacturer of the assault rifle used in the shooting. In the wake of declining household gun ownership, the NRA has turned to the funder of last resort: the gun industry itself." The VPC first exposed the gun industry's growing financial support of the NRA in its original Blood Money study, released in 2011. At that time, gun industry financial support of the NRA totaled between $14.7 million and $38.9 million. Since then, the giving levels have risen dramatically. (The exact total is not possible to know because in its promotional efforts the NRA only reports a range of giving levels within its "Corporate Partners Program" - for example, gifts between $1 million and $5 million and gifts between $500,000 and $1 million.) Freedom Group, Smith & Wesson, and other million-dollar donors were honored at the "biggest, best NRA Ring of Freedom Brunch ever" during the NRA's May 2013 annual meeting in Houston, according to the group. These "selfless, passionate, and devoted leaders" were given yellow sports coats, each with a Golden Ring of Freedom crest on the front pocket, and then took part in "what has become a joyous - and loud - Golden Ring of Freedom custom: the ringing of the 'Freedom' bell." The new report shows the NRA's top corporate benefactor remains MidwayUSA, the official sponsor of the organization's annual meeting for this and previous years. MidwayUSA sells ammunition, high-capacity ammunition magazines, and other shooting accessories. MidwayUSA has donated more than $9 million to the NRA, primarily through its NRA Round-Up program, which rounds up customer purchases to the nearest dollar and gives the difference to the NRA's lobbying arm. Additional gun industry "corporate partners" that have given a million dollars or more to the NRA include: gunmakers Beretta USA, Springfield Armory, and Sturm, Ruger & Co; accessories vendor Brownells; and target manufacturer Pierce Bullet Seal Target Systems. Donors that have given $250,000 or more include: Benelli USA; Cabela's; and Glock. In addition to direct donations, the NRA has embarked on an aggressive series of "sponsorship" programs funded by the gun industry. Gun companies sponsor specific NRA programs, online features, and memberships. This year, Brownells, headed by NRA board member and newly minted Golden Ring of Freedom member Pete Brownell, renewed its commitment as the "presenting sponsor" of the NRA's "Life of Duty" program, which allows individuals or corporations to purchase one-year NRA memberships for members of the military and law enforcement. And in December 2012, the NRA announced that Smith & Wesson would be the "presenting sponsor" of the NRA Women's Network.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2013. 27p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 7, 2014 at: http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney2.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vpc.org/studies/bloodmoney2.pdf

Shelf Number: 132274

Keywords:
Gun Industry
Guns
National Rifle Association
Weapons

Author: Everytown for Gun Safety

Title: Innocents Lost: A Year of Unintentional Child Gun Deaths

Summary: Federal data from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that between 2007 and 2011, an average of 62 children age 14 and under were accidentally shot and killed each year. But our analysis of publicly reported gun deaths, highlighted in "Innocents Lost: A Year of Unintentional Child Gun Deaths," shows that the federal data substantially undercount these deaths: - From December 2012 to December 2013, at least 100 children were killed in unintentional shootings - almost two each week, 61 percent higher than federal data reflect. - About two-thirds of these unintended deaths - 65 percent - took place in a home or vehicle that belonged to the victim's family, most often with guns that were legally owned but not secured. - More than two-thirds of these tragedies could be avoided if gun owners stored their guns responsibly and prevented children from accessing them.

Details: Everytown for Gun Safety, 2014. 42p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: http://3gbwir1ummda16xrhf4do9d21bsx.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Innocents_Lost.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://3gbwir1ummda16xrhf4do9d21bsx.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Innocents_Lost.pdf

Shelf Number: 132550

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides

Author: Campo, Joe

Title: Firearm Deaths in Washington State

Summary: Mass murders - senseless semi-automatic assault-style rifle attacks in movie theaters, shopping malls and even elementary schools - have, sadly, become staples on the evening news. Seemingly before one town's mourning can come to a close, another town's begins anew. And yet the dark shadows cast by these horrific events may cloak other equally senseless - and much more prevalent - firearm-related deaths. In this research brief, we examine firearm deaths by magnitude and intent, gender and age, race and ethnicity, and by regional and small areas. We also identify potential risk factors, compare Washington's rates with those in British Columbia and our nation, and assess the trend in hand gun purchases within our state. Broadly we find that contrary to the general public's perception, firearm deaths are more of a rural than urban blight, and the victims are, in fact, overwhelmingly themselves the perpetrators. We also find that while males are more likely to be killed by a firearm than are females, it is the elderly males (those ages 65 and older) who have the highest rates of all.

Details: Olympia, WA: Washington State Office of Financial Management, 2013. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Brief No. 71: Accessed July 17, 2014 at: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/researchbriefs/2013/brief071.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/researchbriefs/2013/brief071.pdf

Shelf Number: 132709

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Firearms
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Mass Murders

Author: Parsons, Chelsea

Title: Young Guns: How Gun Violence is Devastating the Millennial Generation

Summary: American children and teenagers are 4 times more likely to die by gunfire than their counterparts in Canada, 7 times more likely than young people in Israel, and 65 times more likely to be killed with a gun than children and teenagers in the United Kingdom. Even though violent crime has steadily declined in recent years-overall violent crime declined 19 percent between 2003 and 2012, and the murder rate declined 17 percent during that period-rates of gun violence remain unacceptably high. On average, 33,000 Americans are killed with guns each year, and the burden of this violence falls disproportionately on young people: 54 percent of people murdered with guns in 2010 were under the age of 30. Young people are also disproportionately the perpetrators of gun violence, as weak gun laws offer easy access to guns in many parts of the country. Far too often, a gun not only takes the life of one young American but also contributes to ruining the life of another young person who pulls the trigger. And while guns play a role in so many deaths of America's youth, very few public health research dollars are spent to understand the causes of this epidemic and develop policy solutions to address it. In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, the issue of gun violence has received renewed attention in this country, and many voices are now calling for solutions to this public health crisis. In this environment of increased focus on gun violence, Millennials' voices are crucial. As discussed in detail below, young Americans suffer disproportionately from gun violence. Beyond the numbers, which are startling, the voices of young people must be heard and the stories told about the effect of this violence on their lives and communities. In this report, we present data on the disproportionate impact of gun violence on young people; discuss the prevalence of young people as perpetrators of such violence and the ramifications of involvement in the criminal justice system; and highlight poll numbers indicating that Millennials are increasingly concerned about the presence of guns in their communities. With an American under the age of 25 dying by gunfire every 70 minutes, we must all recognize that gun violence among youth is an urgent problem that must be addressed.

Details: Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2014. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 28, 2014 at: http://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CAP-Youth-Gun-Violence-report.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CAP-Youth-Gun-Violence-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 132786

Keywords:
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Violent Crimes

Author: Krouse, William J.

Title: Gun Control Legislation in the 113th Congress

Summary: Congress has debated the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition, with strong advocates arguing for and against greater gun control. The mass shooting in Newtown, CT, along with other mass shootings in Aurora, CO, and Tucson, AZ, restarted the national gun control debate. The Senate had considered a range of legislative proposals, including several that President Barack Obama supports as part of his national gun violence reduction plan. The most salient of these proposals would (1) require background checks for intrastate firearms transfers between unlicensed persons at gun shows and nearly any other venue, otherwise known as the "universal background checks" proposal; (2) increase penalties for gun trafficking; and (3) reinstate and strengthen an expired federal ban on detachable ammunition magazines of over 10-round capacity and certain "military style" firearms commonly described as "semiautomatic assault weapons," which are designed to accept such magazines. On March 21, 2013, Senator Harry Reid introduced the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 (S. 649). As introduced, this bill included the language of several bills previously reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary: (1) the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 (S. 54), (2) the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013 (S. 374), and (3) the School Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 (S. 146). However, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (S. 150) was not included in S. 649. From April 17-18, 2013, the Senate considered S. 649 and nine amendments that addressed a wide array of gun control issues, ranging from restricting assault weapons to mandating interstate recognition (reciprocity) of state handgun concealed carry laws. By unanimous consent, the Senate agreed that adoption of these amendments would require a 60-vote threshold. However, all but two of these amendments were rejected. But, a final vote was not taken on S. 649. While the House has yet to consider any of the gun control proposals debated in the Senate, on May 8, 2013, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs approved a bill, the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (H.R. 602), that addresses veterans, mental incompetency, and firearms eligibility. This bill would narrow the grounds by which beneficiaries of veterans' disability compensation or pensions are determined to be ineligible to receive, possess, ship, or transfer a firearm or ammunition because a fiduciary has been appointed on their behalf. The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs approved a nearly identical bill (S. 572) on September 4, 2013. In addition, in December 2013, Congress approved a 10-year extension of the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 (H.R. 3626; P.L. 113-57). In July 2014, the Senate considered the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 (S. 2363) that included several provisions intended to promote hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. Supporters of gun rights or gun control filed a score of amendments. When a cloture motion was defeated on July 10, 2014, the Senate leadership postponed further consideration of S. 2363. The House Committee on Appropriations approved an FY2015 Interior appropriations measure (yet to be filed) on July 9, 2014, that includes provisions which are similar, but not identical, to those included in S. 2363. The House passed an FY2015 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill (H.R. 4923) on July 10, 2014, that includes a provision that addresses civilian carry of firearms on public properties managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Senate has passed a companion bill (S. 1245), but it does not include a similar provision. In addition, the House amended and passed an FY2015 District of Columbia appropriations bill (H.R. 5016) on July 16, 2014, with a provision that would prohibit the use of any funding provided under that bill from being used to enforce certain District gun control statutes.

Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2014. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource: R42987: Accessed August 22, 2014 at: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42987.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42987.pdf

Shelf Number: 133078

Keywords:
Firearms
Gun Control (U.S.)
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns

Author: Gagliardi, Pete

Title: Transnational Organized Crime and Gun Violence: a Case for Ballistic Intelligence Sharing

Summary: - National and international crime experts agree that transnational crime and its associated violence is a fast growing problem in the world today meriting the attention of the global law enforcement community. - Credible researchers have suggested that transnational crime can be considered in the context of 1. Illicit markets, and 2. Criminal groups. - Many illicit transnational markets are linked to firearms and violence (e.g. insurgency & terrorism, migrant smuggling, drug trafficking, and the poaching of endangered species). The same is true for many organized criminal groups (e.g. ethnic gangs/maras, drug cartels, regional criminal groups, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and fugitives). - Police efforts in solving the types of violence associated with transnational crime are greatly hampered because, as criminals move, evidence of their crimes is scattered across national borders. - Assuming that "every crime gun has a story to tell", law enforcement can reap great benefits by taking a "presumptive approach" to the investigation of gun crime. This approach is based on the premise that: 1. Valuable information for law enforcement use can be extracted from crime guns and related evidence; and 2. People, processes, and technology are available to help sustain the production of actionable information from this data which can help police solve and prevent gun related crimes. - The INTERPOL Ballistics Information Network (IBIN) can help police extend this "presumptive approach" across borders in an efficient and effective manner to address transnational crime and violence. IBIN was created in 2009 as a platform for the large-scale international sharing and comparing of ballistic data. Just as fingerprint data can link crimes and criminals across international borders, IBIN can identify matches between pairs of spent bullets and cartridge cases within minutes, thereby helping forensic experts give police investigators timely information about crimes, guns, and suspects. - INTERPOL'S IBIN Program leverages the power of automated ballistics technology to provide the global law enforcement community with a "world-wide ballistics data sharing network". With such a network in place, internationally mobile criminals who use firearms to further their illicit activities will find escaping detection increasingly challenging. - In searching for efficient and effective processes to implement IBIN, one does not have to look much further than INTERPOL's front door. INTERPOL routinely formulates Field Operations Support Programs that target both illicit transnational markets and transnational criminal groups. In conclusion: - The public safety benefits of collecting and exchanging of ballistics data across nations are obvious and undeniable only when ballistic intelligence sharing is viewed from a proper law enforcement context and perspective. - Cross-jurisdictional sharing of ballistics information not only makes sense when the distinctive circumstances of a case dictate it, but also when law enforcement and forensic organizations focus their efforts on the following sectors: 1. Specific border frontier regions, 2. Specific transnational illicit markets, and/or 3. Specific criminal groups. - Finally, the true benefits of transnational ballistic intelligence sharing come to light when one considers the societal costs of gun violence. Every day that we wait, a criminal somewhere remains free to shoot and kill again... and the cost of crime on our global society rises ever higher.

Details: Forensic Technology, 2010. 20p.

Source: Internet Resource: White Paper: Accessed August 22, 2014 at: http://www.forensictechnology.com/Portals/71705/docs/WP_TransnationalGunCrimesAndBallisticIntelligenceSharing_2010-10-21_A4.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: International

URL: http://www.forensictechnology.com/Portals/71705/docs/WP_TransnationalGunCrimesAndBallisticIntelligenceSharing_2010-10-21_A4.pdf

Shelf Number: 133079

Keywords:
Ballistics
Forensics
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Organized Crime

Author: Gerney, Arkadi

Title: Assault Weapons Revisited: Policy Options for Regulating Rifles, Shotguns, and Other Firearms 20 Years After the Passage of the Assault Weapons Ban

Summary: 20 years after President Bill Clinton signed the federal assault weapons ban into law in September 1994 and a decade after Congress allowed that law to lapse - the question of whether and how to regulate particularly lethal firearms is no longer the primary focus of the national gun debate. While the question of what to do about the proliferation of certain military-style rifles - so-called "assault weapons" - remains open, advocates for stronger gun laws have recently focused on the question of who may possess guns, rather than which type of guns should receive heightened regulation. In the wake of the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, President Barack Obama, congressional leaders, and gun-violence prevention advocates alike made deterring dangerous people from accessing guns the top legislative priority with a proposal for comprehensive background checks for all gun sales. In April 2013, while the Senate also considered a new assault weapons ban that only mustered 40 votes, the Manchin-Toomey bill to expand background checks garnered 55 votes. This shift in focus to prevent dangerous people from accessing guns is appropriate: A broad set of research suggests that such measures are effective in reducing gun violence. Additionally, there is overwhelming support in opinion polls for expanding background checks and similar measures aimed at restricting dangerous people from accessing guns. But the debate persists about whether and how to best regulate assault rifles and other types of firearms that may pose heightened risks to public safety. For more than 20 years, there has generally been only one policy solution offered in this debate: a ban on assault weapons. This report considers how gun laws have evolved to address different classes of firearms and looks more broadly at how federal and state laws treat rifles and shotguns differently than handguns and whether all of those distinctions continue to make sense. It also examines data on the changing nature of gun violence and the increasing use of long guns and assault rifles by criminals, with a focus on Pennsylvania as a case study. Additionally, this report offers a new framework for regulating assault weapons and other special categories of guns that balances the desire of law-abiding gun owners to possess these guns with the need to protect public safety from their misuse in dangerous hands. These policies include: - Require background checks for all gun sales - Require dealers to report multiple sales of long guns - Equalize interstate sales of long guns and handguns - Require federal firearms licenses for individuals that manufacture guns using 3D printers - Bar possession and use of machine guns by individuals under the age of 16 - Require a permit for possession of assault weapons Twenty years after the successful passage of the federal assault weapons ban and 10 years after its expiration, the push for a federal ban on these guns seems stuck in neutral. But much more can be done to strengthen regulation of particularly dangerous guns and to ensure that laws regulating handguns and long guns make sense in today's context.

Details: Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2014. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2014 at: http://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/AssaultWeapons-report.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/AssaultWeapons-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 133375

Keywords:
Assault Weapons
Firearms
Gun Control
Gun Control Policy
Gun Laws
Gun-Related Violence (U.S.)
Guns

Author: Law Library of Congress, Global Legal Research Center

Title: Police Weapons in Selected Jurisdictions

Summary: This report examines the weapons and equipment generally at the disposal of law enforcement officers in several countries around the world. It also provides, for each of these countries, a brief overview of the rules governing the use of weapons by law enforcement officers. Precise and reliable information on the weapons and equipment of some countries' police forces was often difficult to find.

Details: Washington, DC: Law Library of Congress, 2014. 105p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 17, 2014 at: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/police-weapons/police-weapons.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: International

URL: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/police-weapons/police-weapons.pdf

Shelf Number: 133737

Keywords:
Guns
Police Weapons (International)

Author: Donges, Hannah

Title: Women and Gun Ownership

Summary: Policy and research on the role of firearms in women's lives usually stress women as victims of gun violence. Around the world, firearms are used in roughly 40 per cent of the estimated 66,000 annual homicides with female victims. Guns are even more commonly used to injure, intimidate, and coerce women (Alvazzi del Frate, 2011, pp. 117, 131-32). Although women own and use guns, or live in households where firearms are present, firearms policy and research tend to focus on the role of and effects on men, who are the majority of firearm owners worldwide (Alvazzi del Frate and McDonald, 2014, p. 2). While relevant data is scarce, it reveals a substantial gap between male and female civilian firearm owners and users. As shown in this Research Note, women account for a smaller proportion of gun owners than men, and they are not as aware of or not as willing to acknowledge the presence of firearms in homes and communities. Bridging this gender gap will help shed light on perceptions of and attitudes towards firearms, which could help to inform the agenda for women, peace, and security as well as the development of comprehensive and efficient safety policies. By showing what can be said with relative certainty, this Research Note establishes a baseline for systematic analysis and careful policy-making.

Details: Geneva, SWIT: Small Arms Survey, 2014. 4p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Notes, No. 45: Accessed October 22, 2014 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-45.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-45.pdf

Shelf Number: 133788

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Ownersehip
Gun Policies
Gun Violence
Guns
Homicides
Violent Crime

Author: Pittell, Harlan

Title: "Stand your ground" laws and the demand for legal firearms

Summary: Since 2005, 23 states have passed Stand Your Ground (SYG) laws: allowing a person to use deadly force in self-defense, even in situations where one can safely flee from an assailant. This study investigates whether SYG laws increased the demand for firearms by using data on background checks for firearms purchases as a proxy for the demand for legal firearms. Results from three alternative difference in differences estimates provide evidence that the passage of SYG laws generally led to an increase in the demand for legal firearms.

Details: Ithaca, NY: Department of Policy Analysis & Management Cornell University, 2014. 58p.

Source: Internet Resource: Policy Analysis & Management Honors Thesis: Accessed April 20, 2015 at: https://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/36335/2/Pittell_Thesis.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: https://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/36335/2/Pittell_Thesis.pdf

Shelf Number: 135273

Keywords:
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides (U.S.)
Self-Defense
Stand Your Ground Laws

Author: Selby, Nick

Title: ShotSpotter: Gunshot Location System Efficacy Study

Summary: This report, based on structured interviews with police agencies around the United States, details how the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System (GLS) improves productivity, response time and effectiveness by providing more information and intelligence to law enforcement and public safety professionals responding to incidents. This in turn improves officer safety and officer and investigative efficiency. The ShotSpotter GLS detects gunshots through acoustic sensors. Using a patented method of computer analysis, it provides police and public safety agency users with information and intelligence on gunfire incidents, including shot location and incident mapping, number of shots detected, and audio playback. This report was commissioned by ShotSpotter and is endorsed by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). Its findings are independent. Its purpose is to examine the effectiveness of the ShotSpotter GLS at locating and reporting gunshots, informing more efficient investigations, increasing arrests, simplifying the jobs and increasing the safety of police officers and communities. It specifically compares the ShotSpotter GLS to 9-1-14 in terms of the reporting of gunshots, and examines how having data produced by ShotSpotter GLS has affected the work and procedures of patrol and detectives who respond to and investigate gunshot crimes. The study's authors from the police officer-owned independent commercial research firm CSG Analysis, met with five respondent groups-command staff, analysts, detectives, patrol officers and dispatchers-from seven police agencies throughout the United States. These agencies were selected by ShotSpotter for characteristics including the length of deployment (all have had ShotSpotter for more than a year), and the fact that before installation, each agency indicated it had a substantial criminal gunfire problem. The participating agencies were Brockton, Mass.; East Palo Alto, Calif.; Nassau County, N.Y.; Richmond, Calif.; Riviera Beach, Fla.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Saginaw, Mich. The study's authors conducted all of the interviews in person at each of these agencies. No agency received compensation or consideration for its participation. All interview transcripts, surveys and raw data on which the report's conclusions are based are available for inspection to confirm the authors' findings. The ShotSpotter GLS significantly enhances patrol officers' ability to locate the scene of a shooting over 9-1-1 alone, and provides officers more situational awareness when responding to gunshot calls. This information and enhanced awareness has saved lives and led to arrests. Since many gunshots are not reported to 9-1-1, but almost all within a ShotSpotter-covered area are detected by the ShotSpotter. The system allows cities to better understand the true level of gunfire in their communities and deploy resources more effectively. ShotSpotter's accuracy in pinpointing the precise location(s) from which shots were fired was critical not only to solving gun crimes, but even in one case, in determining which agency should investigate the incident. Command staff at all seven agencies noted significant community and public relations benefits and value from ShotSpotter, leading to compelling improvements in community policing, increased community responsiveness to gunfire, and a decreased sense of disenfranchisement among community stakeholders. In short, ShotSpotter deployments increase positive community engagement with law enforcement. False positives, a ShotSpotter activation which is ultimately determined to have been caused by something other than a gunshot, are the single most common complaint of ShotSpotter users, and they pose an operational problem. This report examines the cause and level of false positives and makes specific recommendations to reduce them. False negatives, an absence of a ShotSpotter activation when a gunshot is known to have occurred, are very rare and not considered an operational issue by respondents. Finally, this report considers ways in which agencies may get better value from their ShotSpotter deployment by introducing new workflow management and best practices. Implementing these would result in more strategic use of ShotSpotter to inform Intelligence-Led Policing, Neighborhood and Community Policing, and other important policing, law enforcement and crime reduction initiatives.

Details: Newark, CA: ShotSpotter; CSG Analysis, 2011. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource; Accessed May 1, 2015 at: https://csganalysis.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/shotspotter_efficacystudy_gls8_45p_let_2011-07-08_en.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: https://csganalysis.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/shotspotter_efficacystudy_gls8_45p_let_2011-07-08_en.pdf

Shelf Number: 135449

Keywords:
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Public Safety
Weapons

Author: Steele, Paul D.

Title: The Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative in Albuquerque: Project Activities and Research Results

Summary: The Strategic Alternatives to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI) was established by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1998. Implemented in ten cities, SACSI was a coordinated effort to reduce and prevent firearm and firearm-related violent crime. The initiative was notable for its innovative organization and approach. First, SACSI relied upon the participation of a core group of decision makers in each SACSI service area. These decision makers included local, state and federal law enforcement, prosecutorial, and corrections personnel as well as service providers and representatives from the community. Together, they constituted a working group that was charged with the responsibility of implementing new and potentially effective approaches to dealing with crime in the area served by the initiative. Second, the working group was supported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, which was charged with the responsibility of facilitating and coordinating the working group's efforts. The U.S. Attorney's Office also had the opportunity to provide resources to local violence reduction strategies, and served as a member agency in the working group. Third, a research partner also supported the working group. The research partner's role included providing information concerning general crime patterns in the community, more focused analysis in support of strategic and tactical planning, knowledge concerning best practices for reducing gun violence, and assessment of local efforts to deal with violent crime. Ten cities were selected as SACSI sites; the first five (Indianapolis, Memphis, New Haven, Portland, and Winston-Salem) were funded in 1998, and the second five (Albuquerque, Atlanta, Detroit, Rochester, and St. Louis) were funded in 2000. From the perspective of the research partner, this report describes SACSI in the Albuquerque service area, which consists of Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Of particular note is the evolution of the local SACSI effort, including the development of the working group and various project initiatives in the community. Also highlighted are findings of research about criminal activities in the community, criminal justice responses to crime, and assessment of SACSI initiatives. To address these topics, the report is organized into four sections. The current section is comprised of three chapters. The current chapter concludes with a review of relevant literature concerning firearm, firearm-related, and other violent crime that was useful in orienting the project. Chapter II describes the development and implementation of the SACSI working group and initiatives in the Albuquerque service area, and Chapter III discusses research activities in the service area. The next section of the report describes crime offender, victim and crime episode patterns within the service area, highlighting trends and spatial distribution of serious violent crimes. It also covers the movement of homicide and aggravated assault cases in the service area reported to or detected by the police through the criminal justice system. Section three describes and assesses the various SACSI initiatives implemented in the community to respond to violent crime. The report concludes with a final section summarizing the findings and making recommendations for future activities.

Details: Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Criminal Justice Analysis Center, Institute for Social Research, University of New Mexico, 2005. 333p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2015 at: http://isr.unm.edu/reports/2005/sacsi.pdf

Year: 2005

Country: United States

URL: http://isr.unm.edu/reports/2005/sacsi.pdf

Shelf Number: 135762

Keywords:
Community Participation
Firearms and Crime
Gang-Related Violence
Gangs
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Violent Crime

Author: Krouse, William J.

Title: Mass Murder with Firearms: Incidents and Victims, 1999-2013

Summary: In the wake of tragedy in Newtown CT, Congress defined "mass killings" as "3 or more killings in a single incident" (P.L. 112-265). Any consideration of new or existing gun laws that follows mass shootings is likely to generate requests for comprehensive data on the prevalence and deadliness of these incidents. Despite the pathos of mass shootings, only a handful of researchers and journalists have analyzed the principal source of homicide data in the United States-the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)-to determine whether those incidents have become more prevalent and deadly. According to the FBI, the term "mass murder" has been defined generally as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered, within one event, and in one or more locations in close geographical proximity. Based on this definition, for the purposes of this report, "mass shooting" is defined as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, and in one or more locations in close proximity. Similarly, a "mass public shooting" is defined to mean a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, in at least one or more public locations, such as, a workplace, school, restaurant, house of worship, neighborhood, or other public setting. This report analyzes mass shootings for a 15-year period (1999-2013). CRS analysis of the FBI SHR dataset and other research indicates that offenders committed at least 317 mass shootings, murdered 1,554 victims, and nonfatally wounded another 441 victims entirely with firearms during that 15-year period. The prevalence of mass shooting incidents and victim counts fluctuated sporadically from year to year. For the period 2007-2013, the annual averages for both incidents and victim counts were slightly higher than the years from 1999-2007. With data provided by criminologist Grant Duwe, CRS also compiled a 44-year (1970-2013) dataset of firearms-related mass murders that could arguably be characterized as "mass public shootings." These data show that there were on average: - one (1.1) incident per year during the 1970s (5.5 victims murdered, 2.0 wounded per incident), - nearly three (2.7) incidents per year during the 1980s (6.1 victims murdered, 5.3 wounded per incident), - four (4.0) incidents per year during the 1990s (5.6 victims murdered, 5.5 wounded per incident), - four (4.1) incidents per year during the 2000s (6.4 victims murdered, 4.0 wounded per incident), and - four (4.5) incidents per year from 2010 through 2013 (7.4 victims murdered, 6.3 wounded per incident). These decade-long averages suggest that the prevalence, if not the deadliness, of "mass public shootings" increased in the 1970s and 1980s, and continued to increase, but not as steeply, during the 1990s, 2000s, and first four years of the 2010s. Mass shootings are arguably one of the worst manifestations of gun violence. As discussed in this report, statute, media outlets, gun control and rights advocates, law enforcement agencies, and researchers often adopt different definitions of "mass killing," "mass murder," and "mass shooting," contributing to a welter of claims and counter-claims about the prevalence and deadliness of mass shootings. With improved data, policymakers would arguably have additional vantage points from which to assess the legislative proposals that are inevitably made in the wake of these tragedies. Toward these ends, Congress could consider directing one or several federal agencies, including but not limited to the FBI and BJS, to improve collection of data on multiple-victim homicides. Congress could also direct federal agencies, possibly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to report annually on firearms-related mass murders, including data on (1) offender acquisition of firearms, (2) types of firearms used, (3) amounts and types of ammunition carried and shots fired, (4) killed and wounded counts, (5) offender histories of mental illness and domestic violence, and (6) victim-offender relationships.

Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2015. 51p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 3, 2015 at: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44126.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44126.pdf

Shelf Number: 136296

Keywords:
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Mass Homicides
Mass Murders
Violent Crimes

Author: Great Britain. Law Commission

Title: Firearms Law: A Scoping Consultation Paper

Summary: When consulting on the contents of the Law Commission's 12th Programme of Law Reform, a number of respondents suggested that the law governing the use and acquisition of firearms was deeply problematic and in need to reform. This suggestion came from both the police, CPS, and other law enforcement agencies in addition to organisations representing the licensed firearms community. The law regulating the use and acquisition of firearms is contained primarily within the Firearms Act 1968. Further provisions, however, are to be found in an additional 33 Acts of Parliament. In total therefore, to understand fully the law on firearms it is necessary to have regard to 34 Acts of Parliament. In addition to these, the law is to be found in numerous pieces of secondary legislation. Early fact finding with stakeholders suggested there was consensus on those problems that cause the most difficulties in practice. In this scoping consultation paper, the Law Commission sets out these problems and makes some provisional proposals as to how they could be remedied. By providing immediate solutions to these pressing problems, the aim is to maximise public safety whilst also providing clarity and certainty for members of the licensed firearms community. From discussions with stakeholders, it also became clear that there are more fundamental problems with the law. These problems are attributable to the fact the law has become increasing complex, inaccessible and in some instances incoherent. Given that the Firearms Act 1968 was a consolidating Act, many of its provisions have their origin in older legislative provisions, such as the Pistols Act 1903. It is questionable whether these remain fit for purpose in the 21st century. It is for these reasons the Law Commission has also examined in this scoping consultation paper whether more comprehensive reform of the law is necessary. We conclude that the law is problematic and could be improved. The consultation paper gives some examples of problems stakeholders have brought to our attention which we believe could be remedied by codifying the law. In this paper, we are asking consultees for their views on the suitability of the provisional proposals we have made to remedy the most pressing problems with the law. We are also asking consultees whether they agree with our provisional conclusion that more comprehensive reform of the law is necessary. We are equally eager to know whether consultees have any examples of unnecessary costs incurred that are attributable to the deficiencies with the current legislative regime

Details: London: The Stationery Office, 2015. 116p.

Source: Internet Resource: Consultation Paper No. 224: Accessed October 19, 2015 at: http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/cp224_firearms.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/cp224_firearms.pdf

Shelf Number: 137010

Keywords:
Firearms
Gun Control
Guns
Weaspons

Author: Police Executive Research Forum

Title: Gun Violence: Regional Problems, Partnerships, and Solutions. Findings and Recommendations from Four Regional Summits and a Survey of Police Executives

Summary: To better understand regional issues and perspectives about gun crime and violence, the Police Executive Research Forum, with support from the Joyce Foundation, held four regional summits and surveyed law enforcement leaders on gun violence reduction strategies. The summits were held in Minneapolis, MN; Portland, OR; Las Vegas, NV; and Milwaukee, WI in 2013 and 2014. The survey of PERF's member police executives from around the nation was conducted from December 2014 to February 2015. Throughout the four summits, one message came through especially clearly: We must find a way to "de-politicize" gun crime issues and generate a national conversation about gun crime as a public health issue, not an issue of violating anyone's Second Amendment rights. Some of the information offered by the summit participants is shocking - such as a neighborhood in Milwaukee where residents were not even calling police to report hearing shots fired 86 percent of the time, because it was such a common occurrence. Even more frustrating, as Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn noted, misdemeanor gun crimes in Wisconsin never result in an individual being prohibited from buying or owning a gun. So even a criminal with 20 or more misdemeanor firearms convictions could legally purchase and own a gun in Wisconsin. Some of the information is illuminating, such as the Minneapolis Police Department's successful efforts, recounted by former Chief Tim Dolan, to reduce bank robberies and street robberies by deploying surveillance cameras and gunshot detection technology in downtown areas. The discussions also provided hope by demonstrating that criminal justice professionals, working with elected officials, can bring about reasonable changes in gun laws that do reduce gun crime in their jurisdictions. All of the presentations and conversations were of value - helping us clarify what works, what could work, and what legislators, elected officials, criminal justice professionals, and community leaders can do to reduce gun crimes, make neighborhoods and regions safer, and provide opportunity and hope to the next generation of community members.

Details: Washington, DC: PERF, 2015. 72p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 11, 2016 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/gunpolicyreport2015.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/gunpolicyreport2015.pdf

Shelf Number: 137448

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Violent Crime

Author: Njuguna, Esther

Title: Matching needs with resources: National Police Reserve and community security in Kenya's frontiers

Summary: One of the key challenges faced by communities in Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL), such as those in Isiolo and West Pokot counties, is the lack of proper management of the National Police Reserve (NPR) involved in providing security to communities. This has significantly contributed to the misuse of firearms - identified by locals as a significant security concern. Saferworld has been working with local communities in West Pokot and Isiolo counties to improve people's access to security services and their ability to hold local government institutions to account, especially in the use of firearms. This report analyses the needs of the NPR to determine what level of investment would be appropriate to make the NPR a more effective outfit for community security in the ASAL. The report focuses on the problems faced by the NPR, particularly in relation to their ability to respond to public demand for effective security provision. It highlights the challenges faced by the NPR and identifies lessons and opportunities for improving the professionalism and accountability of the NPR as a key security agency in the ASAL.

Details: London: Saferworld, 2015. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 12, 2016: http://www.saferworld.org.uk/resources/view-resource/1018-matching-needs-with-resources-national-police-reserve-and-community-security-in-kenyas-frontiers

Year: 2015

Country: Kenya

URL: http://www.saferworld.org.uk/resources/view-resource/1018-matching-needs-with-resources-national-police-reserve-and-community-security-in-kenyas-frontiers

Shelf Number: 137470

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Guns
Policing
Public Safety

Author: Cannon, Ashley

Title: Mayhem Multiplied: Mass Shooters and Large-Capacity Magazines

Summary: Mass shootings have taken place consistently throughout American history, in every region of the country. Over the last 30 years, however, large-capacity ammunition magazines-which hold more than 10 rounds-have proliferated, allowing assailants to become much more destructive. A Crime Commission analysis shows, the results have been deadly for Americans.

Details: New York: Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, 2015. 5p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 27, 2016 at: http://www.nycrimecommission.org/pdfs/CCC-MayhemMultiplied.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.nycrimecommission.org/pdfs/CCC-MayhemMultiplied.pdf

Shelf Number: 137684

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Mass Shootings
Weapons

Author: Violence Policy Center

Title: Gun Deaths Outpace Motor Vwehicle Deaths in 21 States and the District of Columbia in 2014

Summary: Gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 21 states and the District of Columbia in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, a new analysis from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) finds. This is the fifth edition of the VPC report comparing gun deaths to motor vehicle deaths by state. The number of states where gun deaths exceed motor vehicle deaths has increased from just 10 states in 2009 - the first year of data analyzed by the VPC - to 21 states in 2014. In 2014, there were more gun deaths than motor vehicle deaths in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, the analysis finds. Data is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Gun deaths include gun suicides, homicides, and fatal unintentional shootings; motor vehicle deaths include both occupants and pedestrians. "Firearms are the only consumer product the federal government does not regulate for health and safety," states VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand. "Meanwhile, science-based regulations have dramatically reduced deaths from motor vehicles in recent decades. It's well past time that we regulate firearms for health and safety just like all other consumer products." Nine out of ten American households have access to a motor vehicle while fewer than a third of American households have a gun. Yet nationwide in 2014, there were 33,599 gun deaths compared to 35,647 motor vehicle deaths.

Details: Washington, DC: Violence Policy Center, 2016. 5p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 27, 2016 at: http://www.vpc.org/press/gun-deaths-surpass-motor-vehicle-deaths-in-21-states-and-the-district-of-columbia/

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://www.vpc.org/press/gun-deaths-surpass-motor-vehicle-deaths-in-21-states-and-the-district-of-columbia/

Shelf Number: 137692

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides

Author: Squires, Peter

Title: Police Perceptions of Gang and Gun Related Offending: A Key Informant Survey

Summary: This survey of Police officers (and civilian intelligence analyst staff) within one police force (GMP) offers an important and unusual insight into the problem of urban gun crime. Our findings reflect the perceptions of the problem of gun crime shared by a group of uniquely experienced police officers whose daily work involves dealing with, responding to and forward planning in respect of the problems of gun crime in one major British city with a particular reputation for gun crime. The particular survey itself comprises responses from 55 police personnel, ranking from detective constable to chief superintendent, (including a number of civilian intelligence analysts). Those GMP staff included in sample shared 835 years within policing, suggesting a mean duration of police service of some 15.8 years. Respondents were drawn from all of the force's separate geographical divisions. As suggested, the sample also included 20 GMP intelligence analysts, five of these working on attachment with the GMP Firearms Desk and operational gang response units. The intelligence analysts alone had a mean duration of service within GMP of between 8-9 years. Taken together, therefore, these lengths of service in the GMP suggest that our sample is appropriately drawn from an experienced and uniquely well qualified section of the police workforce, and a group we would expect to be able to speak knowledgeably, informatively and constructively about the gun crime and gang crime problems that they work with on a regular basis. There was a threefold purpose in reviewing 'key informant' perceptions of the gun crime problem within the project. First, in a wider sense it is part of our effort to get a clear perspective on how the problem is understood or constructed - this is, in a simple sense, what the 'experts' dealing with the problem think about it, the forms it takes and the means by which it might usefully be tackled. Second, in a more critical sense the survey is also very much about how these same 'experts' (or 'primary definers' (Hall et al, 1978)) help to construct the issue for the rest of us. A third issue relevant here concerns how the constructions of these 'experts' represent and yet may also 'misrepresent' aspects of the problems represented by 'gun' and 'gang' crime. For example, the particular professional preoccupations of police officers may tend to distort their perceptions of both the offence and of the offenders (or it may dwell upon some aspects of these matters at the expense of others). Or, to put it another way and recognising the "political" nature of problem definition in public policy-making, our respondents might perpetuate a perception of the gun crime problem which does not necessarily correspond with views shared by others, or they may hold views uncorroborated, for example, by research findings. All of this is, perhaps, only to be expected. Our group of respondents were selected precisely for their specialist knowledge and experience, and this knowledge and experience may lead them to see the matter in a different way.

Details: Brighton, UK: University of Brighton, 2007. 87p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2016 at: http://about.brighton.ac.uk/staff/profiles/pas1-magnet.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://about.brighton.ac.uk/staff/profiles/pas1-magnet.pdf

Shelf Number: 137807

Keywords:
Gang Violence
Gangs
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Informants

Author: Children's Defense Fund

Title: Protect Children, Not Guns 2013

Summary: CDF's Protect Children Not Guns 2013 is a compilation of the most recent and reliable national and state data on gun violence in America. This report provides the latest statistics on firearm deaths by race, age and manner; highlights state gun violence trends and efforts to prevent child access to guns; dispels common myths about guns; and outlines progress at the federal and state level since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In 2010, 2,694 children and teens died from guns in the United States - one child or teen every three hours and 15 minutes, seven every day, 51 every week for a year. More than six times as many children and teens - 18,270 - suffered nonfatal gun injuries as gun deaths in 2010. This is equal to one child or teen every 30 minutes, 50 every day, and 351 children and teens every week.

Details: Washington, DC: Children's Defense Fund, 2013. 76p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 17, 2016 at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/library/protect-children-not-guns/protect-children-not-guns-2013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.childrensdefense.org/library/protect-children-not-guns/protect-children-not-guns-2013.pdf

Shelf Number: 138316

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns

Author: Quinet, Kenna

Title: External Causes of Death in Indiana: Firearm Deaths

Summary: Recent national headlines focused on the high firearm suicide rates in Indiana's own Vanderburgh County. In the first few weeks of 2007, suicides in the Evansville area were three times the number expected. Although the pace of suicides slowed during the rest of the year, by the end of 2007, the number of suicides reached 40, exceeding the previous high of 32 in 2005. Of these suicides, the method in 26 of the 40, or 65 percent, was a firearm. Also receiving national attention were the brutal firearm homicides of two Indianapolis women and their two small children. In addition to these recent southern and central Indiana firearm suicides and homicides, there was a tragic firearm injury in northern Indiana in February 2008 when teenagers were out of school due to weather. An 18-year-old boy was unintentionally shot by another teen who was playing with a firearm. From 1990-2005, 11,809 Hoosiers died from firearm-related suicides, homicides, unintentional shootings, and undetermined means. Of those deaths, 6,904 were firearm suicides, 4,297 were firearm homicides, and 432 Indiana residents died in unintentional shootings. Clearly the most significant toll of firearm deaths is from suicide (59 percent), to a lesser extent homicide (37 percent), and the least likely firearm death in Indiana is an unintentional firearm death (4 percent). These unintentional shootings are often the most tragic because children are involved. Newspapers, magazines, television, and radio are filled with stories of firearm homicides, suicides, and unintentional deaths. But how common are these firearm deaths? Are they increasing or decreasing? Which age, race, and gender groups are most vulnerable? How do firearm deaths in Indiana rank compared to the other major external causes of death such as unintentional motor vehicle deaths? This report begins to address these questions using data primarily from the Centers for Disease Control, National Center of Injury Prevention and Control Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).

Details: Indianapolis: Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 2008.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2016 at: http://policyinstitute.iu.edu/Uploads/PublicationFiles/CauseOfDeath4.pdf

Year: 2008

Country: United States

URL: http://policyinstitute.iu.edu/Uploads/PublicationFiles/CauseOfDeath4.pdf

Shelf Number: 138440

Keywords:
Firearms
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides

Author: Duquet, Nils

Title: Armed to Kill: An exploratory analysis of the guns used in public mass shootings in Europe

Summary: Every year in Europe around 1,150 people are shot dead with firearms. These deaths occur in various contexts, including the relational and criminal spheres. The little available research into the weapons used during these fatal crimes suggests that different types of firearms are used in different contexts. In this report we focus on the weapons that were used for one specific form of deadly firearms incidents, namely "public mass shootings". These are shooting incidents in the (semi-)public space in which the perpetrator(s) use one or more firearms and during which several people are killed and injured. Under this umbrella term we find numerous types of shooting incidents, ranging from school shootings in which a frustrated pupil murders a number of classmates and/or teachers to terrorist attacks in which groups of perpetrators attempt to spread terror in coordinated attacks. A look at recent mass shootings shows that significant differences can be observed in terms of, for example, the locations where these shootings were carried out, the number of perpetrators, the motives of the perpetrator(s), the selection of the victims and the firearms used. This report analyses one specific aspect of such shooting incidents, namely the firearms that were used.

Details: Brussels: Flemish Peace Institute, 2016. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2016 at: http://www.flemishpeaceinstitute.eu/sites/vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/files/files/hitp/armed_to_kill.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.flemishpeaceinstitute.eu/sites/vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/files/files/hitp/armed_to_kill.pdf

Shelf Number: 139545

Keywords:
Firearms
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Mass Shootings

Author: Cohen, Cathy J.

Title: Gun Violence, Policing, and Young Communities of Color

Summary: The recent police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando have received international attention and prompted national discussion on the issue of gun violence. Young people - and particularly young people of color - have been at the center of this conversation. Most of the Pulse victims were Latino/a, and #BlackLivesMatter activists have organized around the country in response to police killings of people of color with Sterling and Castile as only the most recent examples in a long list that includes Tanisha Anderson, Tamir Rice, and Michael Brown. It should come as no surprise that young people of color are leading the response to recent instances of gun violence. Young people do not all experience gun violence at the same rate nor do they feel its consequences evenly. Our research on young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years old highlights the very different experiences young people have with guns, gun violence, and policing across racial and ethnic groups.

Details: Chicago: Black Youth Project, University of Chicago Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, 2016. 9p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 20, 2016 at: http://raceandpolicing.issuelab.org/resources/25201/25201.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://raceandpolicing.issuelab.org/resources/25201/25201.pdf

Shelf Number: 145622

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Racial Disparities

Author: Lam, Rita Lai Man

Title: Influence of Weapon Types on the Patterns and Outcomes of Violent Encounters

Summary: In collaboration with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), this study aims to improve the knowledge about the structuring effect of firearms on criminal violence. This study first identifies factors associated with firearms use in violent crimes and second, estimates the risk of fatal and non-fatal injuries associated with gun use. Data used in the present study come from the Module d'information policière (MIP), for the period of 2011 to 2012. Data were analyzed using a two-step strategy. First, logistic regressions were conducted to pinpoint factors associated with firearm use in violent crime. Second, estimates of the average treatment effect were computed using the propensity score matching (PSM) technique. PSM is an innovative statistical strategy that attempts to reproduce conditions of controlled experiments when cases were not randomized in the first place. In general, results show that firearms are more frequently used in gang-related crimes where individuals attack relatively non-vulnerable targets (young males accompanied by other persons). Despite these characteristics, firearm use increases the risk of fatal injuries in violent altercations, but lessens the risk of non-fatal injuries, among other things, in the case of robberies. Findings establish that firearms facilitate the perpetration of violent crimes, even in the hands of the strongest offenders. Results also suggest that other weapons are poor substitutes for firearms. Although the findings cannot fully corroborate firearms as the great equalizer, these weapons do confer several advantages to their user(s). Firearms also appear to be a sufficient threat in the case of robberies, where additional injuries are not necessary to successfully commit the crime.

Details: [Montréal] : Université de Montréal, Faculté des arts et des sciences, École de criminologie, 2013. 119p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2016 at: https://papyrus.bib.umontreal.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1866/11243/Lam_Rita_Lai_Man_2013_rapportdestage.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Year: 2013

Country: Canada

URL: https://papyrus.bib.umontreal.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1866/11243/Lam_Rita_Lai_Man_2013_rapportdestage.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Shelf Number: 147317

Keywords:
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Violent Crime
Weapons and Firearms

Author: Pew Research Center

Title: Why Own a Gun? Protection Is Now Top Reason

Summary: The vast majority of gun owners say that having a gun makes them feel safer. And far more today than in 1999 cite protection – rather than hunting or other activities – as the main reason they own guns. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in February found that nearly half of gun owners (48%) volunteer that the main reason they own a gun is for protection; just 32% say they have a gun primarily for hunting and even fewer cite other reasons, such as target shooting. That's 22 percentage points higher than 1999 when 26% cited protection as the biggest factor and 49% said they owned a gun mostly for hunting. About a quarter of Americans (24%) say they personally own a gun, rifle or pistol; another 13% say another person in their household has a gun. A large percentage of gun owners (79%) say having a gun makes them feel safer. At the same time, nearly as many (78%) say that owning a gun is something they enjoy. Most Americans (57%) say they do not have a gun in their household. Most of the non-gun owners (58%) say that they would be uncomfortable having a gun in their homes; 40% say they would be comfortable having a gun.

Details: Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2013. 24p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 20, 2016 at: http://www.people-press.org/2013/03/12/why-own-a-gun-protection-is-now-top-reason/

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.people-press.org/2013/03/12/why-own-a-gun-protection-is-now-top-reason/

Shelf Number: 147778

Keywords:
Fear of crime
Gun Ownership
Gun-Related Violence
Guns

Author: Duquet, Nils

Title: Firearms and Violent Deaths in Europe: An Exploratory Analysis of the Linkages Between Gun Ownership, Firearms Legislation and Violent Death

Summary: On a regular basis, news stories appear in the media about public shootings where shooters use their guns to open fire and kill people in shopping malls or on school campuses. Mostly these stories deal with incidents in the United States. Over the last years, however, a number of European countries have experienced similar public shooting incidents. Notable cases were the shootings at Tuusula and Kauhajoki in Finland (2007 and 2008), the killings in Cumbria in the UK (2010), the Utøya attacks by Anders Breivik in Norway (2011), and the shootings at Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands and Liège in Belgium in 2011. Public shootings draw a high level of media attention. Less striking in the public eye, but not less significant – not least in quantitative terms –, are the numbers of people in Europe killed by firearms in the context of gun-related crime or in domestic shootings. It is estimated that between 2000 and 2010, over 10,000 victims of murder or manslaughter were killed by firearms in the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU). Every year, over 4000 suicides by firearm are registered in the EU. This means that, on average, there are 0.24 homicides and 0.9 suicides by firearm per 100,000 population in Europe every year. Compared with the US or other countries around the globe, the rates of gun-related violent death in Europe are rather low, certainly where the homicide rates are concerned. This does not mean, however, that the problem of gun violence has not appeared on the European policy radar in recent years. On the contrary, the attention devoted to the problem by law enforcement agencies and policy-makers has been growing. Reacting not only to shooting incidents such as those mentioned above, but also to warnings by police and law enforcement agencies that criminals are increasingly willing to use (heavy) firearms and that illegal trafficking in firearms is on the rise, a number of European countries have announced policy interventions targeted at reducing levels of gun-related violence and crime. The European Commission has also become an active actor in firearms policy. In October 2013 it announced a plan to reduce gun violence in Europe, in which it defined the misuse of firearms, whether legally-owned or illicitly manufactured or acquired, as "a serious threat to the EU's security from both an internal and an external perspective". One of the major problems the Commission identified in its initial policy papers was the problem of a lack of sound and adequate knowledge about firearms in Europe. The commission noted that "a lack of solid EU-wide statistics and intelligence hampers effective policy and operational responses". One of the ambitions of the EU’s firearms policy is, therefore, to address the gaps in knowledge concerning gun violence. An additional problem is that the lack of reliable and comprehensive information on firearms in Europe is not limited to the sphere of law enforcement and policy-making. European scholarly research focusing specifically on firearms availability, gun control and gun-related violence is scarce. There is a research community in Europe focusing on small arms and light weapons (SALW), but it is predominantly concerned with the export of firearms and the connections between these arms flows and violence in developing, transitional or fragile states outside Europe. Scientific research on firearms and gun-related violence in the domestic European context is much less advanced. The scanty research efforts made in this field by epidemiologists, criminologists and legal scholars remain fragmented, and suffer from the fact that there is no integrated scholarly community dealing with gun-related issues. Language barriers, moreover, often prevent the wider dissemination of research results. Given this relative lack of European firearms research, American studies are still clearly dominant at present in research on the links between the availability of firearms and gun-related violence. Greene and Marsh have calculated that out of the 665 studies on firearms and violence that they reviewed, 64% were about the USA. Of the remaining studies not on the USA, 13% concerned cross-national comparisons or articles in which the geographical focus was unspecified (such as reviews), while 8% were about developing countries. Only 15% concerned other developed countries such as Canada, Australia, the UK and Germany. Given the particularities of the American context, and more specifically the fact that the US has one of the highest rates of gun-related deaths and crime among industrialized democracies, simply transposing the results of American research to the European context is problematic. What are the levels of firearms availability in Europe? Are there links between the levels of gun ownership in European countries and these countries’ rates of violence and violent death? And what is the impact of European gun laws on public safety and health? The absence of evidence specifically for the European context makes it difficult for policy-makers and researchers to find impartial and unbiased answers to these questions. Hence the pressing need for research that specifically focuses on gun-related violence in the European context: and with the present report, we would like to make a contribution to that effort. As we are moving into largely uncharted territory, our analysis of the European situation will necessarily be exploratory. Our primary ambition is to collect and take stock of the fragmented evidence that is available on gun-related violence in Europe. Our geographical coverage will be broader than the EU and encompasses a group of approximately 40 European countries, although in some instances we will limit our analyses to the EU28.

Details: Brussels: Flemish Peace Institute, 2015. 83p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 16, 2017 at: http://www.vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/sites/vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/files/wysiwyg/firearms_and_violent_deaths_in_europe_web.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Europe

URL: http://www.vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/sites/vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/files/wysiwyg/firearms_and_violent_deaths_in_europe_web.pdf

Shelf Number: 141048

Keywords:
Gun Control
Gun Ownership
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Violence
Violent Crime

Author: Smith, Tom W.

Title: Gun Ownership in the United States: Measurement Issues and Trends

Summary: Gun violence is a serious problem in the United States. In 2011, 478,400 violent crimes were committed with a firearm (Planty and Truman, 2013). While down dramatically since the 1990s, the rate of non-fatal firearm victimizations rose from 2008 to 2011. Firearms deaths from all causes (homicides, suicides, accidental, and undetermined) averaged over 31,000 annually in 2005-2011 (CDC WISQARS, 2013; Hoyert and Xu, 2012). Non-fatal gunshot injuries totaled 81,396 in 2012; a rise in the injury rate per 100,000 from 20.5 in 2002 to 25.9 in 2012 (CDC, 2013). Given the magnitude and seriousness of gun violence, it is important to have accurate and reliable information on the possession and use of firearms in the United States. This report examines one crucial element, the level of and trends in household and personal gun ownership. First, the report considers methodological issues concerning the measurement of gun ownership. Second, it examines trends in gun ownership. Third, it evaluates the nexus of these two factors, the impact of methodological issues on the measurement of trends gun ownership. Finally, it considers what ancillary trend data on crime, hunting, household size, and number of guns available suggest about trends in gun ownership.

Details: Chicago: NORC at the University of Chicago, 2014. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: GSS Methodological Report No. 123: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: http://gss.norc.org/Documents/reports/methodological-reports/MR123%20Gun%20Ownership.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://gss.norc.org/Documents/reports/methodological-reports/MR123%20Gun%20Ownership.pdf

Shelf Number: 146197

Keywords:
Gun Ownersehip
Gun violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns

Author: Smith, Tom W.

Title: Trends in Gun Ownership in the United States, 1972-2014

Summary: The household ownership of firearms has declined in recent decades. Table 1 shows that the 31.0% of households reported having a firearm in 2014, essentially tying with 2010 for the lowest level of gun ownership in the last 40-some years. This is a decline of about 17 percentage points from the peak ownership years in 1977-1980. Similarly, Table 1 indicates that in 2010 and 2014 about 32% of adults lived households having firearms. This was a decline almost 19 percentage points from an average of 51.2% in 1976-1982. Based on an earlier analysis of those who refused to say whether or not there was a firearm in their household, the refusers were reallocated as probably living in a household with a firearm or not living in such a household. This allocation indicates that just under 35% of adults lived in a household with a firearm in both 2014 and 2010. This represents a decline of over 16 percentage point from the peak average of 51.1% in 1976-1982. Table 2 shows that in 2014 22.4% of adults personally owned a firearm. This is up slightly from a record low of 20.6% in 2010. There has been little change from 2006 to 2014. Personal ownership in 2014 is down 8.1 percentage points from a high of 30.5% in 1985. One of the main reasons for the decline in household firearm ownership is the decrease in the popularity of hunting (Table 3). In 2014, only 15.4% of adults lived in households in which they, their spouse, or both were hunters. This is the lowest level of hunters since the highest level of 31.6% adults being hunters or married to a hunter in 1977. In 2010-14, household firearms ownership was higher among households with white respondents (39.0%) than among those with black respondents (18.1%) (Table 4). Similarly, it was greater among non-Hispanics (36.0%) than among Hispanics (15.2%). Household gun ownership was greater for among respondents in household with higher incomes. As Table 4 indicates, it rose from 18.2% for households with income below $25,000 to 44.0% for those with ($90,000+). It was also low for households that refused to report income (243.5). This was because households that refused to supply income information were more likely to also refuse to report on firearm ownership. Adults living on households with firearms are concentrated in rural areas and in regions with more residents living in rural areas. As Table 4 shows, household firearms ownership was greatest in the East South Central region and smallest in the Pacific region and Northeast regions. Likewise, it was highest in counties with no town over 10,000 (55.9%) and lowest in the central cities of the largest 12 metropolitan areas (14.8%). Personal ownership of firearms has not appreciably change for women from 1980 through 2014. Between 9% and 14% of women personally owned a firearm during those years and there is no meaningful trend in the level of personal ownership. In 1980, 10.1% personally owned a firearm and in 2014 11.7% did. Men are much more likely to personally own a firearm than women are, but the gender gap has narrowed due to a decline in personal firearm ownership among men. In 1980, 50.3% of men and 10.1% of women reported personal firearm ownership for a gender gap to +40.2 percentage points (Table 5). In 2014, it was 35.1% for men and 11.7% for women for a gender gap of +23.4 points. This is the second smallest gender gap just above the 23.1 point difference in 2010. Personal firearms ownership used to vary very little across age cohorts. In 1980, 23.5% of those under 35 owned a firearm as did 27.4% of those 65+ for an age gap of + 3.9 points. Age differences increased over time, averaging about + 20 points in recent years. In 2014, personal firearms ownership was 14.0% for those under 35 and 30.4 % for those 65+ for an age gap of 16.4 points. Support for a law requiring a police permit before purchasing a firearm was between 69-75% in 1972- 1988 with no clear trend before moving up from 73.5% in 1988 to a peak of 81.9% in 1998 (Table 6). Support remained at 78-81% during 1989-2008 before slipping to a low of 71.7% in 2014, the lowest level since 1987. Thus, the gains in support in the late 1980s and 1990s have disappeared in recent years.

Details: Chicago: NORC at the University of Chicago, 2015. 11p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: http://www.norc.org/PDFs/GSS%20Reports/GSS_Trends%20in%20Gun%20Ownership_US_1972-2014.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.norc.org/PDFs/GSS%20Reports/GSS_Trends%20in%20Gun%20Ownership_US_1972-2014.pdf

Shelf Number: 146196

Keywords:
Gun Ownership
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns

Author: Dehart, Andrew

Title: Chicago Homicides Completed with a Firearm from 1971 to 1993: A Lens of Social Disorganization Theory and Firearm Legislation

Summary: Firearm legislation is a hotly debated topic in the light of recent mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut and elsewhere. President Obama has introduced a firearm policy directed at curtailing firearm homicide. The literature on gun laws and their effect on crime are mixed. Some jurisdictions operate under strict firearm policies and others believe greater access to guns will deter potential criminals. This study uses social disorganization theory to test the effect of restrictive firearm policy in Chicago, Illinois from 1971 to 1993. In particular, this thesis seeks to determine the rate of firearm homicides in the eleven years prior to the 1982 gun ban in Chicago versus the eleven years following 1982. Furthermore, social disorganization theory is tested when comparing gun murders in gentrifying communities to different community area types from 1983 to 1993. The results suggest Chicago's 1982 ban may have lowered the city's firearm murder rate during the eleven years after the ban. Moreover, gentrifying communities, while sharing common characteristics of social disorganization theory, had a moderating impact on firearm homicides. The odd ratios from 1983 to 1993 Chicago gun murders increased in every community area type as compared to gentrifying neighborhoods.

Details: Tyler, TX: University of Texas at Tyler, 2016. 99p.

Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: http://scholarworks.uttyler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=crimjustice_grad

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://scholarworks.uttyler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=crimjustice_grad

Shelf Number: 146198

Keywords:
Firearm Legislation
Firearms
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides

Author: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General

Title: A Review of Investigations of the Osorio and Barba Firearms Trafficking Rings

Summary: In this review the OIG examined information that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Department of Justice (DOJ) obtained about the traffickers of two firearms that were used in an attack on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Mexico that resulted in the death of one agent and the serious injury of another. We focused our review on whether ATF agents improperly failed to seize firearms destined for Mexico, or to timely investigate and arrest subjects who were involved in the trafficking of such firearms. With the exception below, we did not find a general failure to seize firearms where there was a legal basis and opportunity to do so, though we did find consistent with our prior reviews that DEA still needs to improve its policies to ensure appropriate coordination with ATF in drug investigations where firearms trafficking may be involved. On February 15, 2011, ICE Agents Victor Avila and Jaime Zapata were driving on a highway near the town of Santa Maria del Rio, approximately 200 miles north of Mexico City, when members of the Los Zetas (Zetas) drug trafficking organization opened fire on their vehicle. Agent Zapata died from his injuries and Agent Avila was seriously wounded. On February 23, 2011, the Mexican military arrested several Zeta members and associates in in connection with the Zapata/Avila shooting and seized six firearms. Traces of these firearms showed that Otilio Osorio had purchased one of the firearms (Osorio Firearm) on October 10, 2010 at the Dallas-Fort Worth Gun Show, and that Robert Riendfliesh had purchased another of the firearms (Riendfliesh Firearm), on August 20, 2010 at a pawn shop in Beaumont, Texas. ATF's comparison of cartridge casings and the statements of Zeta members linked both weapons to the Zapata/Avila shooting scene. Osorio and Riendfliesh were arrested along with Osorio's brother, Ranferi, and a neighbor, Kelvin Morrison, shortly after ATF completed traces of the firearms on February 25, 2011. Our review examined the information that the ATF, DEA, FBI, and DOJ obtained about the Osorios, Morrison, and Riendfliesh prior to the Zetas attack on the ICE agents. We also examined the circumstances surrounding the release of Manuel Barba from federal custody in Beaumont, Texas in July 2010 following his arrest by DEA for narcotics offenses. Barba led a ring of firearms "straw purchasers" (Baytown Crew) and trafficked the Riendfliesh Firearm to Mexico following his release. Our review paid particular attention to the information that was available to the agencies before Osorio and Riendfliesh made their firearms purchases. With respect to the Osorios and Morrison, ATF began receiving information in June 2010 indicating that Ranferi Osorio could be trafficking firearms to Mexico, and by September had obtained information implicating Morrison as well. Our review did not identify circumstances where agents witnessed the unlawful transfer of firearms and failed to seize them. We determined that ATF agents learned of the Osorio brothers' and Morrison's firearms purchases after they occurred and agents therefore were not in a position to seize the firearms as the Osorio brothers and Morrison took custody of them. We identified one instance, however, where we believe ATF had both the legal authority and opportunity to take firearms in the Osorio brothers' possession, yet failed to seize them. This occurred during a search of the Osorios' residence shortly after the Zapata/Avila shooting. Two of the firearms that were not seized subsequently were recovered at a crime scene in Mexico. Overall we found numerous problems with ATF's assimilation of information concerning the Osorio brothers and Morrison and the timeliness of ATF's response to mounting evidence that they were committing firearms offenses. We determined that ATF's Dallas Field Division had collected sufficient facts prior to Otilio Osorio's purchase of the Osorio Firearm to justify questioning Ranferi Osorio and Morrison or taking other investigative steps within a reasonable time about their firearms purchases. We do not believe that it is possible to identify what investigative steps should have been taken at the time, or precisely when arrests should have occurred, and that to attempt to do so now would be speculative. We do, however, believe that there clearly was probable cause to arrest both Osorio brothers and Morrison after ATF witnessed the Osorios complete a transfer of 40 firearms on November 9, 2010. Yet, ATF's first contact with the Osorios and Morrison did not occur until late February 2011. We did not agree with explanations that ATF offered for this delay. With respect to the conduct of the firearms trafficking investigations that led to ATF's identification and arrests of Barba and Riendfliesh, we did not identify any actions that agents responsible for these investigations failed to take that might reasonably have had the effect of preventing the trafficking of the Riendfliesh Firearm. We found that ATF agents diligently pursued leads and took effective investigative steps and appropriately consulted and coordinated their activities with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas. Our investigation did not identify circumstances where agents witnessed the unlawful transfer of firearms and failed to seize them. Our review did find serious deficiencies with DEA's handling of the Manuel Barba case. DEA first learned in April 2010 of Barba's drug dealing and in May 2010 of his potential firearms trafficking to Mexico. Yet, DEA never shared this information about Barba's possible gun trafficking with ATF so that ATF could determine what investigation might be appropriate, and ATF only learned of Barba's gun trafficking in August 2010, after the sale of the Riendfliesh Firearm, as a result of a separate ATF investigation. We were not persuaded by DEA's explanations for not passing on evidence of Barba's involvement with firearms trafficking to ATF, and we determined that there is room for improvement in DEA's policy to clearly require such communication in appropriate circumstances. As part of oversight work concerning ATF's Operation Fast and Furious, we previously encouraged DEA to develop policies that provide clear guidance to its agents about when to contact ATF, but to date DEA has not implemented our suggestions. 1 We further determined that the Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) handling the Barba drug prosecution should not have agreed to Barba's release from federal custody in July 2010 following his indictment and ultimate plea in the Eastern District of Texas, leaving him at liberty to lead the Baytown Crew and ultimately to direct the straw purchase and the trafficking of the Riendfliesh Firearm to Mexico. We found that, prior to his release, the DEA failed to highlight for the AUSA statements Barba had made about trafficking AK-47s, and we found no evidence that the AUSA read the DEA report that recited Barba's statements or ta~e them into account in agreeing to his release. Our review did not find evidence that the FBI, ATF Headquarters, or DOJ were alerted to or aware of the criminal activities of the Osorios, Morrison, Riendfliesh, or Barba before the Zapata/Avila shooting, or that there were deficiencies regarding the notification process in that regard.

Details: Washington, DC: Office of the Inspector General, 2017. 118p.

Source: Internet Resource: Oversight and Review Division 17-01: Accessed June 22, 2017 at: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2017/o1701.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2017/o1701.pdf

Shelf Number: 146341

Keywords:
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Trafficking
Guns
Trafficking in Firearms
Trafficking in Weapons

Author: Parker, Kim

Title: America's Complex Relationship With Guns An in-depth look at the attitudes and experiences of U.S. adults

Summary: As a nation, the U.S. has a deep and enduring connection to guns. Integrated into the fabric of American society since the country's earliest days, guns remain a point of pride for many Americans. Whether for hunting, sport shooting or personal protection, most gun owners count the right to bear arms as central to their freedom. At the same time, the results of gun-related violence have shaken the nation, and debates over gun policy remain sharply polarized. A new Pew Research Center survey attempts to better understand the complex relationship Americans have with guns and how that relationship intersects with their policy views. The survey finds that Americans have broad exposure to guns, whether they personally own one or not. At least two-thirds have lived in a household with a gun at some point in their lives. And roughly seven-in-ten - including 55% of those who have never personally owned a gun - say they have fired a gun at some point. Today, three-in-ten U.S. adults say they own a gun, and an additional 36% say that while they don't own one now, they might be open to owning a gun in the future. A third of adults say they don't currently own a gun and can't see themselves ever doing so. To be sure, experiences with guns aren't always positive: 44% of U.S. adults say they personally know someone who has been shot, either accidentally or intentionally, and about a quarter (23%) say they or someone in their family have been threatened or intimidated by someone using a gun. Half see gun violence as a very big problem in the U.S. today, although gun owners and non-owners offer divergent views on this. Gun owners and non-owners are also deeply divided on several gun policy proposals, but there is agreement on some restrictions, such as preventing those with mental illnesses and those on federal watch lists from buying guns. Among gun owners, there is a diversity of views on gun policy, driven in large part by party affiliation.

Details: Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2017. 79p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 23, 2017 at: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/06/22/americas-complex-relationship-with-guns/

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/06/22/americas-complex-relationship-with-guns/

Shelf Number: 146352

Keywords:
Gun Ownership
Gun Policy
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns

Author: Parsons, Chelsea

Title: Stolen Guns in America: A State-by-State Analysis

Summary: In the early morning hours of July 5, 2017, New York Police Department officer Miosotis Familia was ambushed as she sat in a marked NYPD command truck with her partner while providing additional security to a Bronx neighborhood after Fourth of July festivities. In an attack that police officials described as an assassination, Officer Familia was fatally shot in the head with a gun that had been stolen in Charleston, West Virginia, four years earlier. Less than a month earlier on the other side of the country, a UPS driver in San Francisco shot and killed three co-workers and injured two others using a gun that had been stolen in Utah. The shooter was also armed with a gun that had been stolen in Napa County, California. Stolen guns pose a significant risk to community safety. Whether stolen from a gun store or an individual gun owner's collection, these guns often head straight into the illegal underground gun market, where they are sold, traded, and used to facilitate violent crimes. Gun theft is not a minor problem in the United States. According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during the four-year period from 2012 to 2015, nearly half a billion dollars worth of guns were stolen from individuals nationwide, amounting to an estimated 1.2 million guns. Twenty-two thousand guns were stolen from gun stores during this same period. A gun is stolen in the U.S. every two minutes. This problem does not affect all states equally. The rate and volume of guns stolen from both gun stores and private collections vary widely from state to state. From 2012 through 2015, the average rate of the five states with the highest rates of gun theft from private owners - Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Alabama - was 13 times higher than the average rate of the five states with the lowest rates - Hawaii, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts. Similarly, from 2012 through 2016, the average rate of the five states with the highest rates of guns stolen from gun stores was 18 times higher than the average rate the five states with the lowest rates. Gun owners and dealers have a substantial responsibility to take reasonable measures to protect against theft and help ensure that their guns do not become part of this illegal inventory. This report analyzes data from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to provide state-by-state data on the frequency with which guns are stolen from licensed gun dealers and individual gun owners in communities across the country. It then offers a number of policy solutions to help prevent future gun thefts. States that are in the top 10 for highest number of guns stolen from both gun stores and private owners

Details: Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2017. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 31, 2017 at: https://cdn.americanprogress.org/content/uploads/2017/07/25052308/StolenGuns-report.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: https://cdn.americanprogress.org/content/uploads/2017/07/25052308/StolenGuns-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 146628

Keywords:
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Illegal Guns
Stolen Guns
Theft

Author: Alpers, Philip

Title: Firearm Legislation in Australia 21 Years After the National Firearms Agreement

Summary: Four consecutive formal reports have now found that no Australian State or Territory has at any stage fully complied with the 1996 or 2002 firearm resolutions which collectively formed the National Firearms Agreement. In important areas, State and Territory legislation has been blocked or revised to dilute the effect of the NFA. This report, commissioned and funded by Gun Control Australia, finds that on balance, both non-compliance from day one and two decades of political pressure have steadily reduced restrictions and undermined the NFA's original intent.

Details: s.l.: Gun.Policy.Org, 2017. 102p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 9, 2017 at: http://www.gunpolicy.org/documents/6936-firearm-legislation-in-australia-21-years-after-the-national-firearms-agreement/file

Year: 2017

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.gunpolicy.org/documents/6936-firearm-legislation-in-australia-21-years-after-the-national-firearms-agreement/file

Shelf Number: 147615

Keywords:
Firearms
Gun Policy
Gun-Related Violence
Guns

Author: Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence

Title: Keeping Illegal Guns Out of Dangerous Hands: America's Deadly Relinquishment Gap

Summary: Americans overwhelmingly agree that it's common sense to prevent dangerous people from accessing deadly weapons-yet there's a dangerous gap in our laws that makes it easy for armed felons and violent criminals to illegally keep their guns after they're convicted. In our new report, Keeping Illegal Guns Out of Dangerous Hands: America's Deadly Relinquishment Gap, we researched relinquishment laws in all 50 states and identified a series of best practices lawmakers can adopt to save lives from gun violence and close this deadly loophole. An essential step to keeping Americans safe from gun violence is to ensure that armed individuals convicted of serious crimes simply turn in, sell, or otherwise rid themselves of their weapons after conviction. In California, law enforcement reported that in 2014 alone, more than 3,200 people illegally kept their guns after a new criminal conviction, many of whom went on to commit crimes with those guns. Relinquishment laws would help prevent this. California, which has the most progressive gun violence prevention laws in the nation, has acted to close this gap in one important way-the state has enacted a law that lays out clear, mandatory procedures for the relinquishment of guns by domestic abusers under a restraining order. Importantly, this law has teeth: it requires these abusers to provide receipts to a judge verifying that they sold or transferred their guns as required. But, the state hasn't extended this best practice to the criminal context, even for people convicted of domestic abuse crimes. Our research on gun relinquishment also revealed: States often rely on the honor system to manage the relinquishment process, trusting violent criminals and other prohibited people to voluntarily turn in their weapons. It costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year - $285 million in California alone-when prohibited people like violent felons are picked up on weapons charges and subsequently incarcerated, and many return to prison because they kept their guns illegally. Only five states provide any statutory process for disarming people prohibited from having guns-Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania The firearm relinquishment gap puts Americans in all 50 states at grave risk. Keeping Illegal Guns Out of Dangerous Hands aims to address the challenge of relinquishment and to encourage lawmakers to establish best practices and mandatory procedures to stem the tide of illegal weapons in our communities. We hope this report will help provide a path to effective gun violence prevention for lawmakers, so fewer Americans fall victim to heartbreaking, preventable shootings.

Details: San Francisco: The Center, 2016. 85p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 23, 2018 at: http://lawcenter.giffords.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Keeping-Guns-Out-of-Dangerous-Hands.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: http://lawcenter.giffords.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Keeping-Guns-Out-of-Dangerous-Hands.pdf

Shelf Number: 148909

Keywords:
Gun Control Policy
Gun Policy
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Illegal Guns

Author: Jacobs, James B.

Title: The Potential and Limitations of Universal Background Checking for Gun Purchasers

Summary: Current federal law defies logic in requiring that only purchasers who buy from federally licensed sellers be subject to background checking. Thus, universal background checking is frequently proposed as the best and most important form of "sensible gun control". Upon closer inspection, however, universal background checking would be harder to implement and enforce than proponents recognize. Moreover, the likely payoff in reduction of gun homicides, crimes and suicides would be less than what is often assumed. This Article closely examines universal background checking in theory and practice, including the Manchin-Toomey Amendment which Congress rejected in 2013 but which continues to be reintroduced.

Details: New York: New York University School of Law, 2017. 43p.

Source: Internet Resource: New York University Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers; accessed April 19, 2018 at: http://lsr.nellco.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1590&context=nyu_plltwp

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: http://lsr.nellco.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1590&context=nyu_plltwp

Shelf Number: 149851

Keywords:
Background Checks
Gun Control
Gun Policy
Guns

Author: Jacobs, James B.

Title: Universal Background Checking - New York State's SAFE Act

Summary: In the wake of the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, Governor Andrew Cuomo promised to give New York State the toughest gun controls in the nation. Toward that end, the January 2013 SAFE ACT provided a comprehensive set of gun control initiatives. Universal firearm and ammunition background checking is one of, if not the most, prominent of these initiatives. Every firearms and ammunition seller must initiate a background check for their purchasers; the aim is to keep dangerous and irresponsible people disarmed. This Article explains how universal background checking works in NYS, the implementation and enforcement challenges it faces, and its likely effectiveness in reducing firearms homicide, crime and suicide.

Details: New York: New York University School of Law, 2016. 21p.

Source: Internet Resource: NYU School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 16-21: Accessed April 28, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2797456

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2797456

Shelf Number: 149943

Keywords:
Background Checks
Gun Control
Gun Policy
Guns

Author: Tita, George E.

Title: Strategies for Reducing Gun Violence: The Role of Gangs, Drugs and Firearm Accessibility

Summary: This report on strategies to reduce gun violence begins with a brief overview of recent trends in gun violence with a particular focus on emerging trends and changes in Canada. A review of literature covers the linkages between gangs, drug markets and firearm accessibility and firearm violence. When possible, the impacts of these factors on patterns of violence are explored at both the individual and community levels. Overall, the report highlights the prevalence and patterns of homicide and gun violence in North America, Britain, Mexico, Canada and other countries. Particular attention is paid to the role of gangs and drug markets in facilitating violence. In addition, research findings and program evaluations aimed at reducing gun violence are also included. Given the exceptionally high rates of interpersonal violence (especially gun violence) within the United States, and its long history of gang violence, it is not surprising that much of the literature is centered on programs and interventions in America. If the current trends of gun violence involving youth continue in Canada, it is important that Canadian policies learn from the successes and failures of recent gun violence reduction strategies elsewhere. Drawing from the literature review as well as the first author's experiences in the design, implementation and evaluation of violence reduction strategies, this report includes a broad set of policy recommendations that might prove useful in the effort to control gun violence within the larger census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in Canada. The case is made that before any policies aimed at reducing gun violence are implemented, it is extremely important to conduct basic research into the nature of local gun and gang violence. One must first understand who is involved, and why they are involved in violence, before one can design and implement an effective gun violence strategy. Finally, the report includes an Annotated Bibliography of the most current and useful gun and gang violence prevention and intervention resources.

Details: Ottawa: National Crime Prevention Centre, 2007. 61p.

Source: Internet Resource: Research Report: 2007-3: Accessed May 16, 2018 at: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/rdcng-gn-vlnc/rdcng-gn-vlnc-eng.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: International

URL: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/rdcng-gn-vlnc/rdcng-gn-vlnc-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 150241

Keywords:
Crime Prevention
Drug-Related Violence
Gang Violence
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns

Author: Kleck, Gary

Title: How the Hemenway Surveys Distorted Estimates of Defensive Gun Use Frequency

Summary: David Hemenway and his colleagues have claimed that two national surveys that they conducted indicated there were few defensive gun uses (DGUs) in the U.S., and that the number of gun crimes committed with firearms greatly is far larger than the number of DGUs. This paper explains how these authors produced extreme underestimates of DGU frequency and gross overstatements of the number of gun crimes. Underestimating DGUs was accomplished by (1) using an eccentric and biased wording of the DGU question, (2) using a trap question that misled Rs with a DGU into thinking they had already reported the DGU, (3) employing a long recall period that increased memory loss, and the (4) selecting a biased sample that systematically underrepresented people likely to have a DGU. Overstating the number of gun crimes was accomplished by (1) mischaracterizing incidents falling into a largely meaningless "hostile display" category as gun crimes, when the authors' own evidence indicated that most of the "victims" of these displays did not regard them as a part of gun crime, and (2) ignoring the far more sophisticated National Crime Victimization Survey estimates of gun crime.

Details: Tallahassee, FL: College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, 2018. 23p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3134859

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3134859

Shelf Number: 150403

Keywords:
Crime Statistics
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
National Crime Victimization Survey

Author: Silver, James

Title: A Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 and 2013

Summary: In 2017 there were 30 separate active shootings in the United States, the largest number ever recorded by the FBI during a one-year period. With so many attacks occurring, it can become easy to believe that nothing can stop an active shooter determined to commit violence. "The offender just snapped" and "There's no way that anyone could have seen this coming" are common reactions that can fuel a collective sense of a "new normal," one punctuated by a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. Faced with so many tragedies, society routinely wrestles with a fundamental question: can anything be done to prevent attacks on our loved ones, our children, our schools, our churches, concerts, and communities? There is cause for hope because there is something that can be done. In the weeks and months before an attack, many active shooters engage in behaviors that may signal impending violence. While some of these behaviors are intentionally concealed, others are observable and - if recognized and reported - may lead to a disruption prior to an attack. Unfortunately, well-meaning bystanders (often friends and family members of the active shooter) may struggle to appropriately categorize the observed behavior as malevolent. They may even resist taking action to report for fear of erroneously labeling a friend or family member as a potential killer. Once reported to law enforcement, those in authority may also struggle to decide how best to assess and intervene, particularly if no crime has yet been committed. By articulating the concrete, observable pre-attack behaviors of many active shooters, the FBI hopes to make these warning signs more visible and easily identifiable. This information is intended to be used not only by law enforcement officials, mental health care practitioners, and threat assessment professionals, but also by parents, friends, teachers, employers and anyone who suspects that a person is moving towards violence. In 2014, the FBI published a report titled A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013. One hundred and sixty active shooter incidents in the United States occurring between 2000 and 2013 were included in the sample. In this first report, the FBI focused on the circumstances of the active shooting events (e.g., location, duration, and resolution) but did not attempt to identify the motive driving the offender, nor did it highlight observable pre-attack behaviors demonstrated by the offender. The 2014 report will be referred to as the "Phase I" study. The present study ("Phase II") is the natural second phase of that initiative, moving from an examination of the parameters of the shooting events to assessing the pre-attack behaviors of the shooters themselves. This second phase, then, turns from the vitally important inquiry of "what happened during and after the shooting" to the pressing questions of "how do the active shooters behave before the attack?" and, if it can be determined, "why did they attack?" The FBI's objective here was to examine specific behaviors that may precede an attack and which might be useful in identifying, assessing, and managing those who may be on a pathway to deadly violence.

Details: Washington, DC; U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2018. 30p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2018 at: https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/pre-attack-behaviors-of-active-shooters-in-us-2000-2013.pdf/view

Year: 2018

Country: United States

URL: https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/pre-attack-behaviors-of-active-shooters-in-us-2000-2013.pdf/view

Shelf Number: 150624

Keywords:
Active Shooters
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Guns
Homicides
Mass Shootings
Threat Assessment
Violent Offenders
Weapons

Rutgers - School of Law, Newark

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