LETTER: Pols should research gun violence before acting in haste
Well, 17 Democratic candidates for president were gathered in Iowa for a forum on gun control. Noble cause.
But I think their major thrust is to tighten up background checks, even though there’s insufficient evidence to show such “tightening up” will make a significant difference — even if they make checks universal and include all firearm transfers, not just those involving a licensed dealer.
According to analyses conducted in the RAND Gun Policy in America Project, only child-access prevention laws were verifiably “effective” for reducing firearm-caused death/injury, but only in children.
The study also found that data is inadequate to support a credible conclusion that background checks reduce firearm homicides.
Clearly, more research of gun violence incidents is required … and, perhaps, that’s where our politicians should be focused.
