Effects of limiting handgun purchases on interstate transfer of firearms
D. S. Weil and R. C. Knox
Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, Washington DC 20005, USA.
OBJECTIVE--To determine the effect of limiting handgun purchases to 1 per
month on the illegal movement of firearms across state lines. DESIGN--Data
from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms firearms trace database
were obtained for traces requested for firearms recovered in connection
with criminal investigations. The analysis incorporates data on date and
location of purchase for 14606 firearms purchased prior to (September 1989
through June 1993) and after (July 1993 through March 1995) enactment of a
Virginia law limiting handgun purchases to 1 per month. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES--Odds of tracing a firearm acquired prior to implementation of the
law to Virginia vs another state in the Southeast compared with the odds
for firearms acquired after the law took effect. RESULTS--For firearms
recovered anywhere in the United States, 3201 (27%) of 11 876 acquired
prior to the implementation of the law and 519 (19%) of 2730 purchased
after the law was enacted were traced to Virginia (odds ratio [OR], 0.64;
95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.71). For traces initiated in the
northeast corridor (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and
Massachusetts), 1103 (34.8%) of 3169 of the firearms acquired before the
1-gun-a-month law took effect and 142 (15.5%) of 919 firearms purchased
after implementation were traced to Virginia (OR, 0.34; CI, 0.28-0.41).
CONCLUSION--Gun control policies involving licensing, registration, and
restricting the number of purchases represent efforts to limit the supply
of guns available in the illegal market. This study provides evidence that
restricting handgun purchases to 1 per month is an effective means of
disrupting the illegal interstate transfer of firearms.
Policies to prevent firearm trafficking
Vernick and Webster
Inj. Prev. 2007;13:78-79.
FULL TEXT
Explaining Variation in Gun Control Policy Advocacy Tactics among Local Organizations
Zakocs and Earp
Health Educ Behav 2003;30:360-374.
ABSTRACT
How the Law Affects Gun Policy in the United States: Law as Intervention or Obstacle to Prevention
Vernick and Mair
J Law Med Ethics 2002;30:692-704.
Relationship between licensing, registration, and other gun sales laws and the source state of crime guns
Webster et al.
Inj. Prev. 2001;7:184-189.
ABSTRACT
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Research Note: Firearms Tracing Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms: An Occasionally Useful Law Enforcement Tool but a Poor Research Tool
Kopel and Blackman
Criminal Justice Policy Review 2000;11:44-62.
ABSTRACT
The Future of Firearm Violence Prevention: Building on Success
Wintemute
JAMA 1999;282:475-478.
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Support for New Policies to Regulate Firearms -- Results of Two National Surveys
Teret et al.
NEJM 1998;339:813-818.
ABSTRACT
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Regulation of Firearms
Hemenway
NEJM 1998;339:843-845.
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A Critique of the Epidemiologic Study of Firearms and Homicide
BLACKMAN
Homicide Studies 1997;1:169-189.
ABSTRACT
