In a finding that casts doubt on one of the pillars of the gun control movement, a new study
published today concludes that the Brady law had no effect on firearm homicide and suicide rates
in states that previously had no handgun controls.

Gun control advocates criticized the study, but also said it reaffirmed the Brady Law’s effectiveness
in reducing gun crimes nationwide and emphasized the need for further regulation of handgun sales.

The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed national homicide and suicide
data between 1985 and 1997, dividing the states into two groups: 32 that installed the Brady Law
handgun purchase controls in 1994, and 19 (18 states plus the District) that already had Brady-style
restrictions.

While the study confirmed a well-documented reduction in firearms deaths across the United States
beginning in 1993-94, the data showed no difference in the overall rate of decline between the two
sets of states.

There was, however, a sharp drop in gun suicides among adults 55 and older in the “Brady states.”
Still, “there’s no real convincing way to show how much of the reduction can be attributed to Brady,”
said Georgetown University public policy specialist Jens Ludwig, co-author of the study, along with
Philip J. Cook of Duke University. The study provided a volatile new addition to the national gun
control debate, and the National Rifle Association hastened to take note.

“We don’t always agree with the American Medical Association, but in this case common sense has prevailed,”
said James Jay Baker, the NRA’s executive director for Legislative Action. “Schemes like the Brady waiting
period have nothing to do with reducing criminal behavior.”

The 1994 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requires that federally licensed firearms dealers impose
a waiting period on the purchase of handguns while they conduct a background check on the purchaser.

The law was enacted 13 years after former presidential press Secretary James Brady was disabled in the
1981 shooting that gravely wounded President Reagan. The gun control movement regards it as one of the
most important pieces of firearms legislation ever passed.
Copyright 2000 The Washington Post Company