Largest Study to Date Finds Powerful Evidence That Gun Control Actually Works
This is important.
FIONA MACDONALD
2 MAR 2016
As the US continues to stall on gun control talks, the largest study ever conducted on the topic has found a clear link between firearm regulation and fewer gun-related deaths around the world.*Until now, studies on gun laws have been limited to just one city or country, and have failed to reach consistent conclusions.
But the new research took a broader view - the team reviewed 130 high-quality studies conducted in 10 countries over the past 60 years. And while they stopped short of saying*they've conclusively proved that gun restrictions equal fewer deaths, the research provides pretty powerful evidence to suggest that it's the case.
"Across countries, instead of seeing an increase in the homicide rate, we saw a reduction," lead researcher Julian Santaella-Tenorio from Columbia University told Zack Beauchamp over at Vox.
To figure this out, Santaella-Tenorio and his team systematically analysed 130 studies that had been conducted across 10 different countries, including the US, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, and Austria.
Each of the studies looked at some kind of specific gun legislation change, and its impact on gun-related homicides, suicides, and/or unintentional injuries or deaths, and was carefully selected for the quality of its research.
After analysing all of these studies, the researchers came up with three conclusions:
It usually takes major legislation overhaul - not just one new law - to see significant change.
Restricting access to guns and their purchase is associated with reductions in firearm deaths.
Individual studies need to be better executed and planned in future to get more convincing results.
https://www.sciencealert.com/studies-show-evidence-that-stricter-gun-control-works-to-save-lives