Firearms laws and the reduction of violence: a systematic review

The Task Force on Community Preventive Services conducted a systematic review of scientific evidence on diverse interventions for the prevention of violence. This report focuses on the effectiveness of firearms laws in preventing violence. These laws included bans on specific firearms or ammunition, restrictions on firearms ownership, firearms registration, waiting periods for buying firearms, licensing of firearms owners, "shall carry" permits for concealed weapons, child access prevention laws, school zero-tolerance laws, and combinations of these laws. The evidence available from scientific studies was inconclusive about the effectiveness of such laws. Further research is needed in this area to determine if firearms laws are a reasonable approach to the problem of firearm-related violence.