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Handgun Purchasers With Misdemeanor Convictions
Sarah Brady;
Jim Brady;
Thomas B. Cole, MD, MPH
JAMA. 1998;280:2120-2121.
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Should violent criminals be permitted to buy handguns? US federal law says yes and no. People who have been convicted of felony crimes are prohibited from purchasing handguns, but people convicted of misdemeanors—including violent misdemeanors that do not involve violence against an intimate partner—are not. Were Congress to extend the prohibition on handgun sales to include persons convicted of violent misdemeanors, it could do so with the public's approval. A recent survey1 of US adults found strong support for policies to prohibit persons convicted of misdemeanors, even nonviolent misdemeanors, from purchasing handguns—but is this a policy worth pursuing?
In this issue of THE JOURNAL, a study by Wintemute et al2 presents convincing evidence that a prior misdemeanor conviction is a strong predictor of subsequent criminal activity among handgun purchasers, including the most violent crimes, such as murder and rape, and firearm-related . . . [Full Text of this Article]
From the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, Washington, DC (Mrs and Mr Brady). Dr Cole is a Contributing Editor of JAMA.
RELATED ARTICLE
Prior Misdemeanor Convictions as a Risk Factor for Later Violent and Firearm-Related Criminal Activity Among Authorized Purchasers of Handguns
Garen J. Wintemute, Christiana M. Drake, James J. Beaumont, Mona A. Wright, and Carrie A. Parham
JAMA. 1998;280(24):2083-2087.
ABSTRACT
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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
Violent Criminal Activity Among Handgun Purchasers With Prior Misdemeanor Convictions
Fotis et al.
JAMA 1999;282:425-427.
FULL TEXT
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