Background check laws having little effect, gun violence researchers discover

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/17/background-check-laws-having-little-effect-gun-violence-researchers-discover.html

 

 

Strict gun laws passed in two states to require background checks for every firearm sale had virtually no effect, a new study has found.

Gun violence experts from the Center for Gun Policy and Research and the Violence Prevention Research Program conducted a study in Washington state, Colorado and Delaware to analyze whether state laws requiring more background checks actually resulted in more checks.

The results, published in medical journal Injury Prevention, suggest the laws had little impact.

Delaware was the only state that saw apparent results, with an increase ranging from 22 to 34 percent based on the type of firearm. But according to the study, "no overall changes were observed in Washington and Colorado."

The study said data "external to the study" suggested Washington saw a “modest, but consistent” increase in background checks for private-party sales, and Colorado saw a similar increase in checks for non-gun show sales.

“These aren’t the results I hoped to see. I hoped to see an effect. But it’s much more important to see what’s actually happened,” Garen Wintemute, one of the study’s authors, told The Guardian.

So what happened? 

The study does not reach a definitive conclusion as to why background checks did not jump -- but it could be a combination of poor enforcement and people choosing not to follow the law. 

“Non-compliance may explain the lack of an overall increase in background checks in Washington and Colorado,” the report said. 

Federal law requires licensed gun sellers to conduct background checks on all buyers through NICS—the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. But private sellers without a federal license do not have to meet the same requirement. The state laws in question sought to cover nearly all gun sales, including among private parties. ...Snip>>.

[CaliCat 3,957]

So, if law in two states made a little difference, expanded to all 50 states the impact would be bigger.

 

Small steps.

[JimandChristy 1,689]

8 minutes ago, CaliCat said:

So, if law in two states made a little difference, expanded to all 50 states the impact would be bigger.

 

Small steps.

Yes, implement in all 50 states and then let's see the research. Problem is that isn't going to happen anytime soon because the gun lobby have persuaded Congress to not do any research into gun violence in this country.

[eieio 1,594]

2 hours ago, JimandChristy said:

Yes, implement in all 50 states and then let's see the research. Problem is that isn't going to happen anytime soon because the gun lobby have persuaded Congress to not do any research into gun violence in this country.

We should all be thankful  that the NRA is protecting our constitutional rights.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

4 hours ago, CaliCat said:

So, if law in two states made a little difference, expanded to all 50 states the impact would be bigger.

 

Small steps.

It made little difference because law abiding gun owners and FFLs have already been obeying the law for years.

 

Not sure why anyone would expect a different result.  It's not like criminals would suddenly try to buy guns legally just because some "stricter laws" were put into play.

 

I will admit that the jump seen in Delaware is interesting.  Perhaps they had been illegally selling guns to DC buyers?