A A A An n n nd d d dr r r re e e ew w w w R R R R. . . . M M M Mo o o or r r rr r r ra a a al l l l, , , , T T T Te e e er r r rr r r ry y y y L L L L. . . . S S S Sc c c ch h h he e e el l l ll l l l, , , , M M M Ma a a ar r r rg g g ga a a ar r r re e e et t t t T T T Ta a a an n n nk k k ka a a ar r r rd d d d in AMERICA INI INI INI INI NITIA TIA TIA TIA TIATIV TIV TIV TIV TIVE
C O R P O R A T I O N
A P A P A P A P PART ART ART ART R OF OF OF OF F TH TH TH THE R E R E R E R RAND AND AND AND
Gun Policy
E E E E
Limited Print and Electronic Distribution RightsThis document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest.RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR2088z1Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. : 978-1-9774-0030-7 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif.
ISBN
© Copyright 2018 RAND CorporationR® is a registered trademark.iii
PrefaceEffective gun policies must balance the constitutional right to bear arms and public interest in gun ownership with concerns about public health and safety. However, current efforts to craft legislation related to guns are hampered by a paucity of reliable information about the effects of such policies. To help address this problem, the RAND Corporation launched the Gun Policy in America initiative. The primary goal of the project is to create resources where policymakers and the general public can access unbiased information that facilitates development of fair and effective firearm policies.This report is one of several research products stemming from the initiative. The report describes a survey of policy experts to identify where access to reliable data would be most useful in resolving policy debates. Based on the results, we also developed a tool that allows users to explore how different combinations of policies are likely to affect a range of outcomes related to gun ownership. Another major study component is a synthesis of the available scientific evidence on how gun policies affect a range of outcomes. In a parallel effort, RAND ...