Title
Gun Control: No Straight Lines in the Data
Document Type
Article
Keywords
Gun Control, 003-001
Abstract
Research and public debate on the reasons for and against gun control are quagmires into which the average academic, the average public policy-maker, and the average citizen should be wary of diving. Indeed, every single entry point into both the research and the debate represents a morass that is so difficult to navigate that anyone unwilling to devote full-time study has little chance of "pulling it all together," that is, of making an informed conclusion on the societal control of firearms. Of the many entry points into the issue, one will be briefly considered here: the causal link between gun prevalence and violence. My goal to is to illuminate this one key issue regarding gun control for those academics, policy-makers, and concerned citizens interested in the issue but who have no special or in-depth knowledge on it. My overall findings include that gun control cannot be justified as a crime-control policy, but that it can be justified as public-health policy.
Comments
Request a copy of the paper from the author: Gregg Lee Carter