Tag Archives: law

05.17.13
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Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy (2013)

Screen shot 2013-05-17 at 5.33.58 PMTITLE: Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis (2013)
URL: http://bit.ly/Z1UU99
WEB STATS: http://bit.ly/Z1UU99+
AUTHORS: Daniel W. Webster & Jon S. Vernick

FINDINGS: There’s ample empirical evidence in support of enhanced regulation & oversight of licensed gun dealers, background checks for private sales, and purchaser licensing. (2) There are compelling case studies from Australia, Scotland, & Brazil that demonstrate effective policy responses to gun violence that have led to significant reductions in gun-related deaths

05.16.13
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Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? (2013)

TITLE: Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? (2013)
SOURCE: Journal of Human Resources
AUTHOR(S): Cheng Cheng & Mark Hoekstra
LINK: http://econweb.tamu.edu/mhoekstra/castle_doctrine.pdf
BITLY WEB STATS: http://bit.ly/MCmKwC+

RESEARCH QUESTION: Do “stand your ground” laws (present in 20 states) deter crimes?
FINDINGS: Results indicate the laws do not deter burglary, robbery, or aggravated assault.  In contrast, they lead to a statistically significant 8 percent net increase in the number of reported murders & non-negligent manslaughters.

01.04.10
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Reducing Gun Violence: Results from an Intervention (2010)

RANDbookTITLE: Reducing Gun Violence: Results from an Intervention in East Los Angeles (2010)
SOURCE: RAND
URL: http://bit.ly/112kTHB
WEB STATS: http://bit.ly/VF4Y3W+
AUTHORS: Tita, G., Riley, K. J., Ridgeway, G., Grammich, C. A., Abrahamse, A. F., Greenwood, P. W.
FIELD: Political Science

NOTES: Gun control works! After Operation Ceasefire launched in 1996, youth homicides fell by 2/3rds in Boston. Policy was tested for applicability by RAND researchers in East LA & found to be effective in reducing violent crime in targeted and surrounding communities.

05.17.04
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ON Gun Registration, the NRA, Hitler, & Nazi Gun Laws (2004)

TITLE: ON GUN REGISTRATION, THE NRA, ADOLF HITLER, & NAZI GUN LAWS (2004)
SOURCE: University of Chicago Law School
AUTHOR(S): Bernard E. Harcourt
LINK: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/files/67-harcourt.pdf
BITLY STATS: http://bit.ly/ZzXuNX+

RESEARCH QUESTION: Does Nazi Germany provide evidence that gun registration leads to loss of rights, oppression, etc.?

FINDINGS: Many Americans have internalized belief despite lack of evidence. Gun laws in Germany at the time were fluid & complex. Hitler first expanded rights, then restricted rights of CERTAIN CLASSES of citizens, which is not a fair comparison to USA, which seeks to regulate ALL CLASSES of citizens equally. Gun lobby uses comparisons to Nazi Germany, however, they fail logically in 3 ways:

(1). Comparing white, male, protestant gun owners in USA to Jews of 1930s Germany is not equivalent.

(2). NRA says “guns don’t kill, people kill”, which means “guns are things, things don’t do damage.” BUT they use Nazi Germany analogy to oppose gun registration, saying “gun registration will take away rights”. However, “gun registration” is a “thing”, not a person, therefore incapable of this via their logic. So, either “things DO kill” OR “gun registration is not bad”.

(3). Nazi goal was FIRST to oppress Jews. THEN they used legal (& extralegal) methods to make it happen. Not the other way around. That is, Oppression came before Disarming Jews.

England & USA have many historical “gun registration” laws, back to 1600s, yet both became/are arguably freest nations in world. Gun registration laws in USA have survived several constitutional/legal challenges. Fear of gun registration is a cultural phenomena- a culture war.

NOTES: Some history of Colonial American & British gun control laws. There were many.

TWEETS: https://twitter.com/hospiceman/status/304670442571051008

03.17.00
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Community firearms and community fear (2000)

TITLE: Community firearms & community fear (2000)
SOURCE: Epidemiology, 11(6), pp. 709-714.
AUTHOR: Miller M, Azrael D, Hemenway D.
LINK: https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=162691

FINDINGS:  By a margin of more than 3:1, citizens feel less safe, not safer, when others in their community acquire guns. Of 2,500 random respondents, just 14% reported they would feel more safe with more guns in their neighborhoods.

09.23.95
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Firearms and community feelings of safety (1995)

TITLE: Firearms & community feelings of safety (1995)
SOURCE: The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (JCLC), 86(1), pp. 121-132.
AUTHOR(S): David Hemenway, Sara J. Solnick and Deborah R. Azrael
LINK: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1144002?uid=3739864&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101681840143

FINDINGS:  By a margin of more than 3:1, citizens feel less safe, not safer, as others in their community acquire guns