A Matter of Facts: Gun Control

By Nancy Herther, Shanda Hunt, Alicia Kubas, and Karen Carmody-McIntosh

The story is, by now, familiar to everyone who keeps up with the news. On February 14, 2018 a school shooter armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Since then, students who survived the massacre have spoken out in support of gun control. Their tactics include an active social media presence, school walkouts, marches, and conversations with lawmakers. These actions — and the public support they have gained — have successfully kept the topic of gun control in the news for much longer than is typical after a school shooting occurs. A recent CNN poll of public opinion showed that 70 percent of Americans are in favor of stricter gun laws.

This post is intended to provide links to reliable resources — peer-reviewed articles, government documents, and more — to help you better understand the issue.

Advocacy groups and U.S. politics

Although many countries have laws that limit people’s access to guns, in the United States, gun control is a topic that often appears controversial. The political momentum against gun control in the U.S. has been strong. Advocates for fewer regulations point to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” – and claim it supports citizens’ unrestricted access to firearms.

Firearms manufacturers profit from increased sales and their financial interests are served by increasing the market for guns and decreasing regulations. Advocacy groups such as the National Rifle Association represent the interests of both the firearms manufacturers and groups of American citizens who support unregulated access to guns.

In 1996, the NRA successfully lobbied for the Dickey Amendment, which says that federal funding to the Centers for Disease Control cannot be used “to advocate or promote gun control.” Critics of the Dickey Amendment claim that it has prevented researchers from investigating gun violence more broadly.

Public health advocacy groups, such as the American Public Health Association, advocate strongly for more research into gun violence and they are in favor of certain gun control laws, such as a ban on assault weapons.

Resources for research and understanding

Journal Articles

• 4 Simple Reforms to Address Mass Shootings and Other Firearm Violence.
  Lawrence O. Gostin, JD. JAMA. February 2, 2016.
• The impact of the Orlando mass shooting on fear of victimization and gun-purchasing intentions: Not what one might expect. Wolfgang Stroebe, N. Pontus Leander, Arie W. Kruglanski. PLOS ONE. August 11, 2017.
• Criminal Use of Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Semiautomatic Firearms: an Updated Examination of Local and National Sources. Christopher S. Koper, William D. Johnson, Jordan L. Nichols, Ambrozine Ayers, Natalie Mullins. Journal of Urban Health. 02 October 2017.
• Death by Gun Violence—A Public Health Crisis. Howard Bauchner, MD; Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH; Robert O. Bonow, MD, MS; et al. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2018;144(1):7-8.
• Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) position statement: restore CDC funding for firearms and gun violence prevention research. Behrman, Pamela; Redding, Colleen A; Raja, Sheela; Newton, Tamara; Beharie, Nisha; Printz, Destiny. SBM. 2017

Freely Available Government Sources

• Remarks by President Trump and Vice President Pence at Listening Session with Students, Teachers, and Parents, February 22, 2018. See video of session here.
• Gun Control: Federal Law and Legislative Action in the 114th Congress. Congressional Research Service Report by William J. Krouse. April 19, 2017.
• Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Legal Issues. Congressional Research Service Report by Vivian S. Chu. February 14, 2013.

Statistics/Research on Gun Violence

• Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund: Gun Violence by the Numbers
• Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: Key Gun Violence Statistics
• National Public Radio: Deaths From Gun Violence: How The U.S. Compares With The Rest Of The World
• BBC News: Guns in the US: The statistics behind the violence
• Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence: Gun Violence Statistics
• National Institute of Justice: Gun Violence
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Firearm Mortality by State
• gov: Minneapolis Statistics and Reports

About the authors

Nancy Herther is librarian for Sociology, Anthropology, American Indian Studies, American Studies, Asian American Studies & Disability Studies

Shanda Hunt is librarian for Public Health and Data Curation Specialist

Alicia Kubas is librarian for Government Publications and the Regional Depository Librarian

Karen Carmody-McIntosh is a communications specialist in the University Libraries