The American people have been subject to a massive gun control experiment for over 30 years. Since the passage of the 1968 Gun Control Act, the federal government, in one form or another, has been in a position to regulate every retail sale of a firearm in the country. Over the years, Congress has added many layers of gun control, with legislation such as the Brady law, the 1994 ban on many semiautomatic firearms, and the misdemeanor gun ban and so-called gun-free school zones act, both passed in 1996. Now, in the wake of the Littleton school shootings, Congress is once again poised to pass more gun control, this time attempting, among other things, to regulate private firearms transactions. But will more gun control lead to a reduction in violent crimes, or could it be that gun control laws actually result in more crime? A comprehensive study by University of Chicago Law School Professor John Lott, who looked at data from every county in the country over an 18-year period, has shown conclusively that making it easier for citizens to carry firearms leads to lower crime rates. This makes sense, because criminals are put on notice that our streets will no longer be criminal safe zones. The Lott study also gives some insight into the negative side of gun control. By definition, only decent citizens will obey gun laws. A criminal, for instance, will not suddenly become an upstanding citizen and subject himself or herself to a government mandated background check. So increasing the number of gun laws only makes it harder to obtain and posses a firearm for the people least likely ever to commit a crime with a gun. Criminals, meanwhile, are virtually unaffected because they do not go through normal retail outlets in the first place. The most effective thing Congress can do right now to help fight crime is to repeal the misguided gun control laws of the past 30 years, thereby making it easier for decent citizens in this country to obtain, pos...
