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Firearms and Crime

  1. California's Guns and Crime: New Evidence, Garen Wintemute, MD, MPH, Violence Prevention Research Program, Sacramento, CA, May 1997, 15 pages.

    Key Statistics: In 1991, California males whose handgun purchases were denied due to prior criminal activity were more than twice as likely to choose a handgun made by a Ring of Fire manufacturer* compared to those whose purchases were approved. Of young adults�aged 21 to 25 years�who legally purchased a handgun in California in 1988, those with a prior criminal conviction were 50 percent more likely to buy a Ring of Fire handgun than those with no prior criminal history. Of those young adults who had a prior criminal conviction, those who bought a Ring of Fire handgun were 61 percent more likely than those who purchased other handguns to be arrested for a new crime within three years of a handgun purchase. [*Most small, low-quality handguns, sometimes called Saturday Night Specials or "junk guns," are produced by a group of southern California manufacturers known as the "Ring of Fire."]

    This report presents the results of three analyses of the association between small, low-quality handguns�Saturday Night Specials or "junk guns"�and crime.

    This study is free. Write to the Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP) at the University of California, Davis, 2315 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95817. This study can also be found at the VPRP's web site located at http://ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/research/vprp/.

  2. Cop Killers: Assault Weapon Attacks Against America's Police, Kristen Rand, Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC, September 1995, 55 pages.

    Key Statistic: The study estimated that in 1995 at least one in 10 police officers killed in the line of duty would be killed by an assault weapon.

    This study was the result of a five-month survey of newspaper reports undertaken by the VPC to counter arguments made by those who want to repeal the federal assault weapons ban that assault weapons pose no threat to America's police and that law enforcement personnel rarely come into contact with these weapons. The study found that over a five-month period in 1995 police found themselves facing assault weapons in at least 20 incidents which resulted in eight police killed and nine injured. Copies of the original news clips are included in the study.

    This publication is $10.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Violence Policy Center (VPC) at (202) 822-8200 or write to the VPC at 1350 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 825, Washington, DC 20036. A copy of the VPC publications list will be included upon request.

  3. Gun Shows in America: Tupperware� Parties for Criminals, Kristen Rand, Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC, July 1996, 74 pages.

    This study examines the effects of the 10-year-old federal Firearms Owners' Protection Act�commonly referred to as McClure-Volkmer�on gun shows. Included in McClure-Volkmer were two significant changes in the regulation of gun shows: the law allowed holders of Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) to transfer weapons at gun shows in their own states (previously FFLs were allowed only to display firearms); and it defined the volume of guns that could be transferred at gun shows by private individuals, freeing such individuals from fear of prosecution for dealing in guns without a license. The study features a VPC survey of state and local law enforcement authorities and gun show promoters regarding the increase in gun shows since the passage of McClure-Volkmer and the problems associated with gun shows. This study found that gun shows contribute to the flow of firearms to criminals and have become virtual recruitment centers for militias and other extremist groups. The study contains a set of recommendations for local, state, and federal action to reduce problems associated with gun shows.

    This publication is $15.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Violence Policy Center (VPC) at (202) 822-8200 or write to the VPC at 1350 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 825, Washington, DC 20036. A copy of the VPC publications list will be included upon request. Follow this link to view the study's Executive Summary.

  4. Guns Used in Crime: Firearms, crime, and criminal justice, Marianne W. Zawitz, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Washington, DC, July 1995.

    Key Statistics: The National Crime Victimization Survey estimates that in 1993 there were 4.4 million victims of violent crime in America. Of these victims, 29 percent (1.3 million) stated that they faced an offender with a firearm.

    This study compiles data from the National Crime Victimization Survey, the FBI's National Crime Information Center, and other sources on firearm theft and use in crime. A list of the 10 most frequently traced guns by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in 1994 is included.

    This publication is free. Call the National Criminal Justice Reference Services (NCJRS) at 1-800-732-3277. Ask to be placed on the NCJRS mailing list to receive information about all of their publications.

  5. Ring of Fire: The Handgun Makers of Southern California, Garen Wintemute, MD, MPH, Violence Prevention Research Program, Sacramento, California, 1994, 107 pages.

    Key Statistics: The Ring of Fire companies produced more than a third (34 percent) of the handguns manufactured in the United States in 1992. According to tracing data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Ring of Fire guns are 3.4 times more likely to be involved in a crime than are handguns from other major manufacturers.

    The term "Ring of Fire" is used to describe a small group of handgun manufacturers in southern California that produce the majority of Saturday Night Special handguns or "junk guns." These handguns are small, low quality, and disproportionately involved in violence and crime. This study: provides detailed information on the origin and operation of the Ring of Fire handgun makers; assesses the guns they make; reviews their marketing tactics; reveals the role these guns play in violence; and, suggests community and legislative proposals to help reduce the availability of these guns.

    This study is $5.00. Write to the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis, 2315 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95817. Parts of this study can also be downloaded at the Public Broadcasting System's web site located at http://www.pbs.org.


Where did you get that?

   Five Publications Every
   Advocate Needs

   Firearms Violence - General
   Firearms Homicide
   Firearms Homicide and
   Domestic Violence
   Firearms Homicide in
   the Workplace
   Firearms Suicide

   Suicide Among Older
   Americans

   Unintentional Firearm-Related
   Deaths
   Nonfatal Firearm-Related Injuries
   Costs of Firearms Violence
   Firearms and Crime
   Firearms Ownership,
   Concealed Carrying, and
   Self-Defense Use
   Firearms Industry - General
   Licensed Dealers

   Marketing Firearms to
   Women and Youth

   Appendix One: Groups
   and Organizations

   Appendix Two: Understanding
   and Using Statistics






All contents � 1998 Violence Policy Center