The BU finds that background checks reduce homicide rates

The first-ever side-by-side comparison of state firearms laws reveals that states with universal background checks for all gun sales had a lower homicide rate of 15% to that of states without such laws.

New study by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers found homicide rate was 15% lower than states with universal personal history verification laws . Posted in Journal of General Internal MedicineThis is the first study to directly compare state laws on firearms in one statistical model. It is therefore less effective to limit the number of weapons sold than to be sold.

"Research has shown that antecedents of violent behavior are the main risk factor for violence," says Dr. Michael Siegel, lead author of the study, a professor of community health sciences at BUSPH. "Advocates of public health should prioritize policies designed to protect the weapons of those at high risk of violence because of their criminal history."

Siegel and his colleagues created a unique statistical model to directly compare 10 different firearms laws and their effects on inter-state homicide rates from 1991 to 2016, using the baseline database. State Firearm Law data, public database created by the BUSPH research team, and Centers for Disease. Control and Prevention Data (CDC). The statistical model controlled a wide range of state-level factors known to be badociated with higher rates of homicides and suicides.

They also discovered that laws prohibiting the sale of firearms to persons convicted of violent offenses, not just violent crimes, had an even more dramatic badociation than universal background checks: the five Violent crime laws had a homicide rate 18% lower than the others. On the other hand, the "enact" laws – which allow law enforcement officials to approve or deny a hidden porter's license – were badociated with a 9% increase in the homicide rate.

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Siegel and Claire Boine, a visiting researcher in community health sciences, also wrote a related policy paper on evidence-based firearms policy.

This research was funded by the Evidence for Action program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Foundation.

About the School of Public Health at Boston University:

Founded in 1976, the school offers public health training at the master's and doctoral level. The faculty of six departments conducts public health research that changes policies around the world, with the mission of improving the health of populations – particularly the underprivileged, underprivileged and vulnerable – at the local level. national and international.

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