Otis McDonald Gets His Gun

This week in a landmark decision on the American Constitution’s Bill of Rights the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms) applies to individuals nation-wide, and not just in federal jurisdictions. The case was brought on behalf of a Chicago resident who wanted to own and keep a handgun in his home for personal protection.

For nearly three decades the City of Chicago outlawed the private ownership of handguns. The rationale for this ban was to minimize violent crime committed with handguns. But as with so many other social policies this control was driven by the search for a simple, black-and-white solution to a complex, systemic problem. Gun control advocates often blame gun ownership for violent crime, but the real problem is crime, not guns.

If we want to solve violent crime we need to alleviate the interrelated underlying causes. Unemployment, poverty, and social ostracism all create incentives to take by force what cannot otherwise be obtained. Weak and ineffective enforcement, including low likelihood of arrest, low conviction rates, and trivial sentencing removes key disincentives. Destructive gang or reference group value systems encourage criminal behaviors. Low quality education inhibits the vision of one’s potential constructive opportunities. And lack of positive intervention systems to assist with mental health and emotional guidance limit the ability for preventive measures. But all of that is rather overwhelming to understand. Trying to fix it all is even more daunting. Wouldn’t it just be easier to ban guns?

Washington D.C. banned handguns in 1977. By the 1990s the murder rate had tripled. In the years since handguns were banned, most murders were committed with handguns.

Chicago imposed the registration of all handguns in 1968. However, murders with handguns continued to rise. To tighten control the city implemented a handgun ban in 1982. Over the next decade handgun-related murders doubled.

With the promise of curbing violence, England confiscated all privately owned pump and semi-automatic shotguns in 1988. By 1998 they had also confiscated all handguns. By 2001 England had the highest violent crime rate among the top 17 industrialized nations.* And in 2002, London's Sunday Times reported that: "Britain's murder rate has risen to its highest level since records began 100 years ago, undermining claims by ministers that they have got violent crime under control."**

Sometimes the search for “Who’s to Blame?” can lead us to inanimate culprits. In the case of violent crime, those who want a simple answer choose to believe that guns are to blame. Until we aim at the right target, we will continue to miss the mark.

* John van Kesteren, Pat Mayhew and Paul Nieuwbeerta, "Criminal Victimization in Seventeen Industrialized Countries: Key findings from the 2000 International Crime Victims Survey," the Hague, Ministry of Justice, WODC, Onderzoek en beleid, nr. 187, 2000.

** A. Travis, "England and Wales Top Crime League," the Guardian, Feb. 23, 2001.