Violence weapon

Attempted Missile Purchase, Chicago —During 1985, a terrorist group (El Ruken) linked to Libya used violence and intimidation on the streets of Chicago to raise money to purchase weapons. Several members of the group were arrested in 1985 when they attempted to purchase a hand-held missile to shoot down an airplane at Chicago s O Hare Airport. 

W. Marina, Weapons, Technology and Legitimacy, in D. B. Kates, Firearms and Violence. Pacific Instimte for Public Policy Research, San Francisco, 1984, p. 429. 

The 1980s introduces deadlier weapons to America s streets, including such semiautomatic pistols as the Clock and Tec-9 and, to a lesser extent, semiautomatic ( assault ) rifles such as the AK-47. Media exposure to such weapons in drug- and gang-related violence helps to spur support for gun control in general and a ban on semiautomatic assault weapons in particular. 

The Violence Policy Center, at http //www.vpc.org, also provides news and links from a strong antigun point of view. The organization is currently focused on renewing the ban on assault weapons and going beyond it to ban a variety of similar weapons that are currently legal. 

Washington, D.C. Violence Policy Center, 2003. Also available online. URL http //www.vpc.org/studies/officecont.htm. Posted in May 2003. This report compiles incidents in which criminals used assault weapons to kill police, and argues that, contrary to assertions by gun rights advocates, assault weapons represent a significant, continuing threat to law enforcement. 

Donohue, John J., Ill, and Stephen D. Levitt. Guns, Violence and the Efficiency of Illegal Markets. American Economic Review, vol. 88, May 1998, pp. 463ff. Analyzes the role of guns in economic planning by criminals such as drug gangsters. The authors conclude that their decisions are based more on who is likely to win a confrontation than on the lethality of the weapons used. 

Hahn, Robert A., et al. First Reports Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies for Preventing Violence Eirearms Laws Eindings from the Task Force on Community Preventative Services. Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, October 3, 2003, pp. 11-20. Also available online. URL http //www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5214a2.htm. Evaluates the current scientific evidence for the effectiveness of various types of firearms laws including gun bans, restrictions on firearms acquisition, waiting periods, and will issue concealed weapon carry laws. The report concludes that there was insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of any of the types of laws studied. 

Sheley, Joseph E, and James D. Wright. High School Youths, Weapons, and Violence A National Survey. Washington, D.C. National Institute of Justice, 1998. Reports and analyzes national survey results on youth violence. 

Gest, Ted. Little Think Tank Big Impact. U.S. News World Report, vol. 115, December 6, 1993, p. 26. Describes the efforts of Josh Sugarmann, founder of the Violence Policy Center. The organization has issued research reports that zero in on emerging controversies such as those over assault weapons and gun dealer licensing. 

Although gun crimes have a higher potential for serious injury or death than other types of violent crimes, the graph Violence by Type of Weapon, 1993-2001 shows that violent crimes involving weapons (and firearms in particular) are a relatively small portion of violent crime as a whole. The rate of firearm violence also seems steadier, perhaps reflecting a relatively hard core of criminals who decide to regularly use guns. 

Substance Abuse (SA) disinhibits individuals and exacerbates underlying psychiatric difficulties, leading to increased impulsively and violence. High rates of substance dependence disorders were found in 50 youths in a juvenile detention center and in youths who carry weapons to school (Pliszka et al., 2000 Bell et al., 2001). 

The twentieth century saw an unprecedented increase in destruction caused by warfare, mainly brought about by the ever-increasing lethality of weapons and the introduction of new forms of killing, notably the development and refinement of chemical weapons. The terrorist attacks on New York on 11 September 2001, and the responses to them, suggest that in the twenty-first century we shall continue to witness violence by both states and terrorist groups within them. 

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