First of all, they're unconstitutional so Americans resist them. More importantly, they are almost all enacted under a flawed premise. The are enacted to either make the population safer (which they don't) or to reduce crime (which they don't). In many cases politicians rely on gun control issues to distract voters and citizens from real issues. This technique is effective because of the strong feelings on both sides of the issue.

For gun control to work, it would have to present clear and measurable benefits and be enacted nationally. We are not aware of any case involving public safety, or crime control, where gun control laws haven't backfired. It's interesting to note that those areas in the United States with the strictest gun control laws have the highest incidences of violence and crime.

Last updated on May 12, 2010 by Robert Hust