Why do people support gun control?

For many years, many have thought (this poster included) that controversy over banni ng handguns or firearms is really not about gun control. There are many reasons for this conclusion. Some are listed below.

1. There is no credible empirical support for the basic assumptions of gun control.

2. There is no credible empirical support for the effectiveness of gun control in reducing violent crime.

3. It is ludicrous to think that criminals will obey gun control laws give up their weapons.

4. Given the millions of handguns and firearms in American society, it is ludicrous to think that gun prohibitions will work. See the National Research Council's 2004 Report entitled "Firarms and Violence," for their evaluation of the research. (You may want to download the free executive summary)



Florida State Criminologist Gary Kleck's research suggest that bans aren't really about crime control.