DATA DOES NOT SUPPORT EFFECTIVENESS OF GUN CONTROL
WASHINGTON -- A new analysis of efforts to control violence by restricting access to guns has not found enough evidence to reach valid conclusions about their effectiveness.
The National Research Council said Thursday that a major research program on firearms is needed.
"Policy questions related to gun ownership and proposals for gun control touch on some of the most contentious issues in American politics," Charles Wellford, chairman of the committee that wrote the report, said in a statement.
Among the major questions needing answers are whether there should be restrictions on who may possess firearms, on the number or types of guns that can be purchased, and whether safety locks should be required, said Wellford, professor of criminal justice at the University of Maryland.
"These and many related policy questions cannot be answered definitively because of large gaps in the existing science base," he said. "The available data are too weak to support strong conclusions."
Thirty-four states have "right to carry" laws that allow certain adults to carry concealed weapons. However, the report found no credible evidence that such laws either decrease or increase violent crime.
