Gun ownership

Generally, gun rights advocates want gun ownership to be treated in a way similar to speech or writing. Every adult citizen who does not have a criminal or mental health record should be able to own and carry the gun of his or her choice with minimal restrictions (such as banning guns in some public places like schools). Any criminal who commits a crime with that firearm, however, should be prosecuted and punished. 

In most modern European nations, gun ownership is heavily regulated, and guns play little part in daily life. Gun control is accepted as a matter of course hy the overwhelming majority of citizens. Europeans often express astonishment at widespread gun ownership in the United States and the contentiousness of the gun issue in U.S. politics. 

Levinson points out that the Second Amendment debate reveals a curious reversal of conservatives and liberals from their usual positions on civil rights. Liberals interpret tbe rest of the Bill of Rights broadly without worrying too much about tbe social cost of freeing criminals. However, they want to interpret the Second Amendment narrowly because of what they consider to be tbe social costs of gun ownership. Conservatives, on the other hand, often complain about the courts finding new rights in broad interpretations of the Bill of Rights but favor a broader interpretation where the Second Amendment is concerned. 

Dizard, Jan E., Robert Merrill Muth, and Stephen P. Andrews, Jr. Guns in America A Reader. New York New York University Press, 1999. Provides more than 40 selections covering topics such as the origin of the gun control movement, the pros and cons of gun ownership, minorities and guns, the militia movement, and possible compromises between gun control and gun rights advocates. 

WitUn, Gordon. Should You Own a Gun U.S. News World Report, vol. 117, August 15, 1994, pp. 24ff. Uses the question of gun ownership to introduce the overall debate about gun control. The article features a debate between Gary Kleck, whose research shows that gun owners use their guns for defense up to 2.5 million times a year (seldom shooting them) and that criminals are deterred by their fear of armed citizens, and Arthur Kellermann, whose equally provocative study found that guns in the home were 43 times more likely to kill a resident or friend than an armed intruder. 

Blendon, Robert J., John T. Young, and David Hemenway. The American Public and the Gun Control Debate. JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 275, June 12, 1996, pp. 1719ff. Breaks down public opinion in a detailed analysis of attitudes toward guns, nature of gun ownership, and responses to a variety of specific proposals. Although some of the data is becoming stale, the approach and organization are instructive. 

Glaeser, Edwin L., and Spencer Glendon. Who Owns Guns Criminals, Victims, and the Culmre of Violence. American Economic Review, vol. 88, May 1998, pp. 458ff. Analyzes the distribution of gun ownership and suggests that guns are concentrated in groups whose values and experiences... 

Lacayo, Richard, and Zed Nelson. Still under the Gun. Time, vol. 151, July 6, 1998, pp. 34ff. Revisits a cover story Time ran 30 years ago. The authors find that the United States is still struggling to control the eruption of violence, this time in the schools. Prospects for passing more effective gun control legislation are dim because many Americans fiercely cling to the idea of gun ownership. 

Ready, Aim, Fire A Census of Guns. U.S. News World Report, vol. 122, May 19, 1997, p. 32. Briefly reports a study by the Police Association that reports on the distribution of gun ownership in the United States. It is rather concentrated, with 10 percent of adults owning 77 percent of the nation s guns. Other statistics are included. 

An Outrage That Will Last The Public Has Had Its Fill of Politicians Who Won t Touch the Gun Problem. Time, vol. 153, May 10, 1999, p. 35. Argues that the Littleton shootings have led to a new resolve for gun control that can be seized by Democratic candidates. The article argues for age limits for gun ownership, registration, a ban on semiautomatic weapons, and requirements for trigger locks. 

Gun Ownership Tied to Higher Risk for Women s Murder, Suicide. American Medical News, vol. 40, April 21, 1997, p. 18. Reports a study that identified risk factors for death of women by murder or suicide. Guns are the most common cause of death, and mental illness, substance abuse, and domestic violence are all important factors. The article recommends encouraging people to store guns safely or to remove them from the household and supports laws that forbid gun purchase by convicted batterers. 

Fact Sheet Firearm Injury and Death in the United States. Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. Available online. URL http //www.jhsph.edu/gunpolicy/US factsheet 2004.pdf. Updated in January 2004. Gives statistics and trends relating to gun violence in the United States. Overall gun-related deaths have declined by 25 percent between 1993 and 2001. Other topics summarized include effects on youth, public health effects and cost of gun ownership, summary of the effects of different types of gun laws, legal issues, regulation and litigation, and public opinion. 

Buckley, Gail Lumet. The Gun C At. America, vol. 175, October 19,1996, p. 8. Argues that the NRA represents a quasi-religious gun cult and that Catholics should reject religious arguments for gun ownership and instead support gun control efforts. 

Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. Cease Fire. Mother Jones, vol. 22, March-April 1997, pp. 32ff. Interviews Tanya Metaksa, the NRA s chief lobbyist. Harrison paints a vivid and not entirely unsympathetic portrait as Metaksa recounts her life and the personal experiences that shaped her attitude toward the right of self-defense and gun ownership. 

Reibstein, Larry, and John Engen. One Strike and You re Out. Newsweek, vol. 128, December 23, 1996, p. 53. Explains that a 1996 law, intended to cut down domestic violence by banning gun ownership by persons convicted of even relatively minor violent acts, may result in many law enforcement officers being no longer able to carry guns. Police unions... 

Boyd, Neil. Gun Control Placing Costs in Context. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, vol. 45, October 2003, pp. 473ff. The author believes that the Canadian firearms laws implemented in 1995 have been reasonably effective, although the ongoing decline in gun ownership is part of a larger cultural trend. The program s well-publicized... 

Gun Law in Brazil. The Economist, vol. 351, June 19, 1999, p. 29. Reports that Brazil s government is pushing for a total ban on gun ownership but is being opposed by a newly formed gun lobby. Brazil has experienced a high rate of crime and mass shootings in recent years. Police corruption and government inefficiency may undermine the effectiveness of such laws. 

Kopel, David B. Japanese Gun Control. Crime Justice International, vol. 19, June 2003, pp. 4—10. The author reviews the history of gun ownership and gun control in Japan. While he acknowledges that Japanese gun control has been very successful (guns are rare and gun crime even more so), Kopel argues that its implementation has depended on practices that would be entirely unacceptable in the United States. In Japan the authorities have extensive and intimate control over individuals, and persons can be searched or arrested and held for long periods without a judicial warrant. 

URL http //www.wagc.com E-mail info wagc.com Phone (801) 328-9660 P.O. Box 95357 South Jordan, UT 84095 Advocates gun ownership from a woman s point of view. 

The following graphs and charts provide background on gun-related crime, types of firearms deaths, and young people as firearms victims. There is also information about gun ownership and public support for various gun control or safety measures. 

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