Good economic times is credited, in part, for the positive news. My guess is the truth is in the middle. Innovative programs aimed at reducing illegal use of firearms are in place around the country, and being praised by both sides of the gun debate. In Richmond, Va., for example, murders with guns have been reduced as much as 66 percent by prosecuting gun crime to the full extent of the law. Similar successful campaigns are under way in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
Some states are also double-checking gun buyers in addition to federal background checks.
Others have limited the purchase of handguns to one per month. At the federal level, policymakers who support gun restriction credit the Brady law of 1994, which restricts the purchase of firearms and mandates a background check. As many as 300,000 gun sales have been denied since the law took effect. Ms. Rand points to the tightening of licensed gun dealers that numbered nearly a quarter million in 1992. After implementing tougher restrictions to weed out disreputable dealers, there are now close to 100,000.