But these numbers compiled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports also show that the federal government has little to do with enforcing gun laws. Federal prosecutors last year filed 5,500 firearms cases, just a fraction of the nearly 200,000 weapons arrests annually by state, local and federal law enforcement officials. Since the Johnson presidency, we've seen a steady growth in the role of the federal government in fighting crime. Now we're at the point where people think they are an equal partner. They are a very rare event in the life of the average criminal in the country.
Nobody can say for certain whether gun laws are adequately enforced at all levels of government.
Although the 1993 Brady law with its criminal background checks has prevented thousands of felons from buying guns, more than 30,000 Americans are killed by gun violence every year. An estimated 80 million Americans possess 200 million guns, including 60 million handguns. Those who argue for tougher enforcement usually insist that no new gun laws are needed. Moreover, some who support passage of new gun laws fail to take into account the essential role of vigorous enforcement of existing laws. A dispassionate evaluation of the nature of gun violence in America leads to the inescapable conclusion that we need both.