Unfortunately, it is impossible, based on the available data, to determine which of these five possibilities is correct. In a sense, though, it doesn't really much matter which of these propositions is the answer to the question. The most plausible explanation for the continued popularity of waiting periods for gun purchase, in spite of their ineffectiveness, is that they represent a cheap consensus among politicians. A major division exists in our society about the best method for solving the problems of murder and other violent crimes. Conservatives generally favor longer sentences for violent felonies.
Politicians are reluctant to anger taxpayers by use of either strategy.
Research assistance for this article was provided by Charles R. Hardy. Penal Code Ann. U.S. murder rates were derived from population and raw murder figures in FBI Uniform Crime Reports for the United States , 1952-1990. This is an important distinction, because California's population is large enough, especially in the latter part of the period studied, that its murders significantly influence the U.S. murder rate. Hence, throughout this article, we are comparing the California murder rate, with the murder rate of the U.S. minus California.