Gun Control in The United States: A Comparative Survey of Firearm Laws Sassy
Comment: ********************** Look what I’ve found********** !Unfortunately the name Soros appears in the URL which may set off some of the more excitable members of this board but hopefully it will add some info to the argument. Gun Control i****************n The United States: A Comparative Survey of Firearm Laws FOUR OUT OF FIVE STATES NATIONWIDE ?LACK BASIC GUN CONTROL LAWS? REVEALS FIRST NATIONAL REPORT CARD & SURVEY OF GUN LAWS IN 50 STATES Massachusetts, Hawaii & California – Nation?s Toughest on Gun Control Only Top 7 States Score Above 30%; 35 States Score Under 10% 35 States Require No Registration or Licensing for Any Gun 43 States: No Permit or Registration to Purchase Assault Weapons 18 States: No Minimum Age to Possess Rifles or Shotguns WASHINGTON, DC-A disturbing national picture of ?severely low levels? of gun control laws emerges from the first comprehensive survey and report card on firearm laws in all 50 states. A total of 42 states-more than four out of five-lack even ?basic gun control laws,? the report finds, and ?fall below minimum standards for public safety.? The study represents the first comprehensive snapshot of the nation?s gun laws, profiling each state?s laws and rating each state based on 30 weighted gun control measures. Only seven states scored above 30%. The report rated 42 states under 20%. The average state score was only 9%. The seven top-rated states in the study were: Massachusetts (76%), Hawaii (71%), California (53%), Connecticut (50%), Maryland (43%), New Jersey (35%), and Illinois (35%). They were followed by New York (27%), North Carolina (18%) and Rhode Island (18%) in the top ten. Massachusetts is the only state to require both registration and licensing for all guns. The dramatic disparity between the top seven states and the rest of the nation, according to the study, is based on a core of ?fundamental? firearm laws, most importantly, registration and licensing. Thirty-five states have neither registration nor licensing for any type of gun, while 31 states have no waiting periods for handguns, another highly rated measure in the study. The lowest-ranking states, the report finds, have virtually no firearm laws of their own, and received negative scores because they undermine minimum federal gun laws. The ten worst-rated states were: Maine (-10%); Louisiana (-8%); Alaska (-8%); Texas (-8%); Montana (-6%); Kentucky (-6%); Vermont (-5%); North Dakota (-5%); Georgia (-5%), and Arkansas (-5%). Other major findings include: only two states-California and Connecticut-have banned private sales of assault weapons; 43 states allow sales of assault weapons with no registration or licensing; 32 states require no background check when a handgun is purchased from an unlicensed seller; 18 states have no minimum age for possession of a rifle or shotgun; six states have no minimum age for a child to possess a handgun; 46 states have no limit on gun purchases, making it easy for traffickers to buy guns in volume. The study, ?Gun Control in the United States: A Comparative Survey of State Firearm Laws,? was conducted jointly by the Open Society Institute?s Center on Crime, Communities and Culture and the Funders? Collaborative for Gun Violence Prevention. The study also reports over a third of all guns used in crime were bought legally less than three years prior to the offense, suggesting that implementing licensing and registration now is likely to have an impact within three years. ?Opponents of gun control claim we don?t need new gun laws because there are plenty already on the books,? stated Rebecca Peters, program director of the Funders? Collaborative for Gun Violence Prevention. ?This study clearly debunks that myth, revealing just how few laws exist nationwide to prevent gun violence.? ?The good news is that a handful of states have put in place the essential elements of gun control,? Peters said. ?But gun violence respects no borders, as guns are easily transported across state lines. These findings highlight the vital need for consistency in firearm regulation to prevent weak laws in one state from undermining stronger ones in adjacent states.? The report urges state legislatures to consider a wide range of measures to help prevent gun violence: ban the resale of assault weapons; raise the minimum age for purchase and possession of guns; require waiting periods; institute background checks for private sales, and impose one-gun-a-month limits. But the study stresses that the foundation of effective gun control is registration and licensing, two elements crucial in preventing guns moving from legal to illegal ownership. The Center on Crime, Communities and Culture, a project of the Open Society Institute, funds projects to achieve public safety solutions through sentencing reform and by reducing both gun violence and excessive incarceration. The Open Society Institute is a nonprofit grantmaking foundation created by George Soros. The Funders? Collaborative for Gun Violence Prevention consists of OSI, the Irene Diamond Fund and other funders working together to reduce and prevent the harm caused by excessive availibility of guns. ##### Members of the Press who wish to obtain a copy of the report or obtain an interview can contact Gil Kline at (202) 966-4994 or Andrew Martin at (212) 547-6940.Internet Messageboard Comments to http://www.aaa.com.au/matilda/feedback/guns_usa/