Reducing Gun Violence in America

Daniel W. Webster, ScD, MPH, is a professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he serves as Director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research, Deputy Director of Research for the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, and Director of the PhD program in Health and Public Policy. He has published numerous articles on the prevention of gun violence, firearm policy, youth gun acquisition and carrying, intimate partner violence, and the prevention of youth violence. Jon S. Vernick, JD, MPH, is an associate professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. He is committed to translating research findings into policy change, regularly working with legislators, media, courts, and advocates to provide information about effective policies.

A masterful, timely, data-driven edited volume on gun control policy options in the U.S. The contributors use a public health lens to examine gun violence and explore issues ranging from mental health concerns to suicide... The strength of this book is the mixed-method approach in compiling information on many policy options related to gun control, which utilizes case studies and quantitative evidence to make the case for policy change... The contributors are optimistic and lay out concrete policy options in ways that are both sophisticated and easily accessible to all. Choice An anthology of studies, condensing and summarizing the actual state of our knowledge about the subject of gun violence in this country-what real, tested social science shows. -- Adam Gopnik New Yorker Surprisingly accessible and startlingly grim. Thankfully, the editors have done an excellent job organizing the material, which moves from current policy shortcomings to proposals for federal reforms. The debate that's raging might leave you feeling hopeless, which this book suggests otherwise. -- John Lewis Baltimore Magazine This is a 'must' for any concerned about gun control. Midwest Book Review We've all heard the saying that when arguing we should 'disagree without being disagreeable' but, when it comes to guns, we often find ourselves disagreeing without actually disagreeing. Most Americans believe in some kinds of gun control. Most Americans recognize the 'right to bear arms'. Most agree that expanded background checks can be useful in keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous or irresponsible people. Considering that there is so much agreement on basic policy, what the gun debate desperately needs is sober clear-headed analysis. Reducing Gun Violence in America edited by Daniel Webster contributes greatly to this need. -- Shawn Hamilton New Books in Public Policy

• ForewordPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionPart I: Gun Policy Lessons From the United States: Keeping Guns From High-Risk Individuals Chapter 1. Firearms and Violent Death in the United StatesChapter 2. The Limited Impact of the Brady Act: Evaluation and ImplicationsChapter 3. Preventing Gun Violence Involving People with Serious Mental IllnessChapter 4. Evidence for Optimism: Policies to Limit Batterers' Access to GunsChapter 5. Reconsidering the Adequacy of Current Conditions on Legal Firearm OwnershipChapter 6. Broadening Denial Criteria for the Purchase and Possession of Firearms: Need, Feasibility, and EffectivenessChapter 7. Comprehensive Background Checks for Firearm Sales: Evidence from Gun ShowsChapter 8. Preventing the Diversion of Guns to Criminals throughEffective Firearm Sales LawsChapter 9. Spurring Responsible Firearms Sales Practices through Litigation: The Impact of New York City's Lawsuits against Gun Dealers on Interstate Gun TraffickingChapter 10. Curtailing Dangerous Sales Practices by Licensed Firearm Dealers: Legal Opportunities and ObstaclesPart II: Making Gun Laws EnforceableChapter 11. Enforcing Federal Laws against Firearms Traffickers: Raising Operational Effectiveness by Lowering Enforcement ObstaclesPart III: Gun Policy Lessons From the United States: High-Risk GunsChapter 12. America's Experience with the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, 1994– 2004: Key Findings and ImplicationsChapter 13. Personalized Guns: Using Technology to Save LivesPart IV: International Case Studies of Responses to Gun ViolenceChapter 14. Gun Control in Great Britain aft er the Dunblane ShootingsChapter 15. Rational Firearm Regulation: Evidence- based Gun Laws in AustraliaChapter 16. The Big Melt: How One Democracy Changed aft er Scrapping a Third of Its FirearmsChapter 17. Brazil: Gun Control and Homicide ReductionPart V: Second Amendment Chapter 18. The Scope of Regulatory Authority under the Second AmendmentPart VI: Public Opinion on Gun PolicyChapter 19. Public Opinion on Proposals to Strengthen U.S. Gun Laws: Findings from a 2013 Survey Consensus Recommendations for Reforms to Federal Gun PoliciesBiographies of ContributorsIndex