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Do Gun Laws Reduce Homicide Rates?

Gun laws divide people across the United States, but there’s no doubt that Gun Violence is an unfortunate and painful part of society. No one wants gun violence to persist, but it’s harder to determine what the best steps to take against violence are. Researchers have long tried to determine how impactful Gun Laws are in homicide rates to see if more laws could help the problem or if the laws are prohibitive without being effective.

With thousands of deaths caused by firearms each year in the United States, everyone wants to decrease gun violence, and while some advocate for stricter gun laws, others argue that gun laws have not improved gun violence. Domestic Violence and Firearms Relinquishment Laws

Gun Deaths in Ohio

In 2021, around 1,762 people died due to gun violence in Ohio. Ohio gun deaths were just shy (2 deaths) of the all-time high gun deaths seen in 2020. These high levels of gun deaths have continued into 2022, making gun violence a serious issue for Ohioans.

Gun Laws in Ohio and the United States

Gun laws differ depending on what state you are in, so Ohio has special gun laws that dictate how, when, and who can use firearms in the state. There are also federal laws in play when evaluating gun laws and their influence in Ohio.

The federal law dictates that certain people cannot carry firearms, such as:

  • Convicted of a crime that resulted in more than one year of jail time
  • Those who have been convicted of domestic violence
  • Fugitives of justice
  • Those who have been dishonorably discharged from military service
  • People who have a restraining order against them for stalking, threatening, or harassing an intimate partner or that partner’s child
  • Someone who has been committed to a mental institute
  • People who were U.S. citizens and gave up citizenship
  • Undocumented immigrants
  • People who illegally used substances or are addicted to substances

Some states have expanded their background check laws to private sales, at least for certain items. However, Ohio does not have these additional background check laws at this time.

Ohio has some of the weaker gun laws in the United States, and in recent years, the state has had several measures that give Ohioans increased gun freedoms. For example, conceal and carry laws as well as right to shoot to kill laws have been some major gun legislation.

How Do Gun Laws Homicide Rate?

In Ohio, policymakers are trying to find the link between gun laws and homicide and violent crime rates. Political ideologies often make it hard to explore the full body of research on this topic, but the research illuminates the complex nature of this topic.

Information from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System offers some information on how some of the most prominent gun laws have worked. Since background checks were launched, there have been nearly 300 million checks. Starting in 2017, these checks began to decrease in number. The number one reason for firearms denial was a felony conviction.

The violent crime data has shown an overall decrease in violent crime since its peak in the 1990s; however, whether this decrease is due to gun laws or other anti-crime initiatives is debated.

The American College of Surgeons researched this topic and discovered that looser gun laws did not relate to higher homicide and violent crime rates. The group encourages initiatives like increased gun research and greater penalties for illegal gun sales.

Meanwhile, research by the American Journal for Public Health said that handgun homicide rates were 11% higher in places with concealed carry laws like those in Ohio.

While it would be nice to have more conclusive answers related to how well gun laws work, more research needs to be completed to bridge the gaps between various researchers and groups.

Ohio Fetal Homicide Laws

Certain special groups like pregnant people and fetuses must be discussed when considering Ohio’s gun violence because these groups are so impacted by gun violence.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists urges more research and attention should be given to the issues of gun violence because it is such a prominent issue among pregnant people. Guns in households with intimate partner violence can be dangerous, and among pregnant and post-partum women, homicide is the second leading cause of injury-related deaths. Most of these deaths are because of gun violence.

In Ohio, Section 2903.09 says that the unlawful termination of another’s pregnancy results when one person’s actions result in the loss of life of a fetus in another person’s womb. Therefore, when thinking about the impact of gun laws in Ohio, it’s also to note the role of fetal homicide laws that can add to penalties for crimes against pregnant women.

What to Make of Gun Laws

The discussion around gun laws and their effectiveness is likely to continue for some time. Furthermore, legislation around these laws may continue to change. The issue is not just whether gun laws are effective, but it expands to questions such as, “What kind of gun laws are effective?” Because while some laws may have an influence on the homicide rate, that doesn’t automatically mean other laws will. Furthermore, public health measures, like mental health care, are other options that could help reduce gun deaths.

The post Do Gun Laws Reduce Homicide Rates? appeared first on Find US Lawyers.



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Do Gun Laws Reduce Homicide Rates?

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