DO GUN LAWS IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY?

AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF GUN LAWS AND VIOLENT CRIME
Presented to the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology
Nashville, TN – November 2004

by Professor Gary A. Mauser
Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies
Faculty of Business Administration
Simon Fraser University
CANADA V5A 1S6
www.sfu.ca/~mauser/

Abstract

Criminologists theorize that tightening up on firearm regulations will increase the likelihood that society will become safer by reducing criminal violence. Both Brazil and South Africa have recently introduced draconian firearm legislation. It is too soon to know if these new laws will make these societies safer. This paper examines the evidence from several countries (e.g., Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, Jamaica, Australia, and Canada) that have introduced similarly strict firearm laws. The trends in violent crime rates in these countries are compared with the trends in the United States.

The question being addressed in this paper is not whether gun laws cause a drop — or an increase — in firearms related crime. At the very least, gun laws should act to reduce gun violence. The key question is do gun laws improve public safety.

The results of this study show that British-style firearm laws have not reduced violent crime rates in any of the countries examined. In contrast, homicide and violent crime rates have fallen dramatically in the United States over the past decade. General gun laws have not been found to make societies safer. Criminal violence is predicted to increase in both Brazil and South Africa.