Report Highlights
• The amount of State gun laws nearly doubled between 1991 and 2016 (Source (https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303701)).
• The first Federal gun control law was passed in the 1934 National Firearms Act, which limited civilians' access to machine guns, suppressors, short-barreled shotguns, and others (Source (https://oig.justice.gov/reports/ATF/e0706/back.htm)).
• Between 1886 and 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States interpreted the Second Amendment to include the right of the individual to keep and bear arms six times.
• Homicides (all methods) increased 27% from 1968 to 2021.
• Homicide rates increased 28% while incarceration rates fell 15% during the 2020 pandemic.
• The 1994 Crime Bill authorized $12.5 Billion dollars for law enforcement, while the ATF receives $1.5 billion annually to enforce Federal firearm laws.
• The ATF seized more than 360,000 firearms in 2021 (Source (https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/firearms-trace-data-2021)).
The Enforcement of Laws vs. The Passing of New Laws
(https://d1w4q6ldc8l0qo.cloudfront.net/media/catalog/product/cache/8/media/x430/AN/images/50-states-gun-laws-provisions.png)
(https://d1w4q6ldc8l0qo.cloudfront.net/media/catalog/product/cache/8/media/x430/AN/images/the-1994-crime-bill-for-law-enforcement.png)
Timeline of Federal Firearm Laws in the U.S.
• 1934 National Firearms Act
• 1938 Federal Firearms Act
• 1968 Gun Control Act
• 1986 Firearm Owner's Protection Act
• 1988 Undetectable Firearms Act
• 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act
• 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
• 1994 Public Safety & Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act
• 2022 Protecting Our Kids Act
Supreme Court Cases Involving Individual's Rights to Bear Arms
• 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford - Determined Slaves do not have 2A rights.
• 1875 US v. Cruikshank (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/92/542/) - The right of the individual to keep and bear arms.
• 1886 Presser v. Illinois (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/116/252/) - States can ban individuals from forming militias.
• 1939 US v. Miller (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/307/174/) - Courts ruled the Federal Government can regulate firearms not effective for militias (i.e. short-barreled shotguns).
• 1980 Lewis v. United States (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/445/55/) - Upheld that felons cannot keep and bear arms.
• 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/554/570/) - Determined that an individual does not have to be a part of the militia to keep and bear arms.
• 2010 McDonald v. City of Chicago (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/561/742/) - Determined that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment also applies to the Second Amendment.
• 2016 Caetano v. Massachusetts (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/577/14-10078/) - Determined that the 2nd Amendment applies to firearms that did not exist in 1791.
• 2020 New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. City of Bruen (https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-843_7j80.pdf) - Ruled that states must maintain a "Shall-Issue" stance of concealed carry outside of the home.
(https://d1w4q6ldc8l0qo.cloudfront.net/media/AN/images/timeline-of-federal-firearm-laws-in-the-us.png)
Economic Costs of Enforcing Gun Laws
• ATF - 2022 - $1.5 Billion
• NICS - 2022 - $8.4 Billion
• Criminal Justice System - 2022 - $12.62 Billion
*Compared to $2.8 Billion in medical costs yearly.
(https://d1w4q6ldc8l0qo.cloudfront.net/media/AN/images/economic-costs-of-enforcing-gun-laws.png)
ATF Conviction Stats
• 34,436 Cases Initiated
• 10,138 Recommended for prosecution
• 6,315 Prosecuted
• 5,338 Convicted
*The Federal Government prosecutes 15% of all cases initiated.
(https://d1w4q6ldc8l0qo.cloudfront.net/media/AN/images/atf-conviction-stats.png)
Gun Laws & Prosecution Trends
(https://d1w4q6ldc8l0qo.cloudfront.net/media/AN/images/gun-laws-and-prosecution-trends.png)
Firearm Laws & National Homicide Trends
Homicides in the U.S. are now 27% higher than before the 1968 Gun Control Act (per capita). They declined by nearly 20% after the 1994 Crime Bill and remained low until 2015. Homicide rates sharply increased in 2019.
(https://d1w4q6ldc8l0qo.cloudfront.net/media/AN/images/firearm-laws-and-national-homicide-trends.png)
Incarceration Trends & Homicide
(https://d1w4q6ldc8l0qo.cloudfront.net/media/AN/images/incarceration-trends-and-homicide.png)
Sources
• Incarceration Trends (https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/mass-incarceration-trends/)
• Firearm Homicide Trends (https://www.statista.com/statistics/258913/number-of-firearm-deaths-in-the-united-states/)
• BJS Incarceration Trends (https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ji20st.pdf)
• 2022 Incarceration Data (https://www.vera.org/downloads/publications/People-in-Jail-and-Prison-in-2022-Report_2023-06-15-203035_whnq.pdf)
• Impact of the 1994 AWB (https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/173405.pdf)
• BJS Firearm Homicide Trends (https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/fv9311.pdf)
• 1990-Present Homicide Data (https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/murder-homicide-rate)
• BJS Incarceration Trends (https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/national-prisoner-statistics-nps-program)
• FBI NICS Budget (https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/federal-bureau-of-investigation-budget-request-for-fiscal-year-2024)
• Gun Violence Research Budget (https://www.ncgvr.org/why-fund-gun-violence-research.html)
• Federal Firearm Prosecution Trends (https://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/crim/492/)
• BJS 2020 Incarceration Stats (https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/p20st.pdf)
• 18 U.S. Code § 922 (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/922)
• 18 U.S. Code § 924 (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/924)
• 26 U.S. Code § 5861 (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/5861)
Gun Control Laws and Enforcement Trends 2023 (https://ammo.com/articles/enforcement-of-existing-laws-vs-passing-of-new-laws) originally appeared on Ammo.com (https://ammo.com/)