Licensing handgun purchasers saves lives

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Per Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health ( see source ):

Research shows that discretionary PTP licensing and PTP licensing with fingerprinting prevent diversion of guns to criminals.

A study of guns traced to crime in 53 cities that examined intrastate diversion of guns to criminals found that discretionary PTP licensing laws were associated with 64% lower risk of diverting guns to criminals compared to states without such laws.

A study using data on guns used in crimes in the United States in 2009 found:

• Discretionary PTP licensing laws were associated with 76% lower risk of exporting guns to criminals in other states, compared to states without such laws.

• PTP licensing with fingerprinting laws were associated with 45% lower risk of exporting guns to criminals in other states, compared to states without such laws.

A recent study found that Missouri’s PTP licensing law prevented guns from being diverted to criminals within the state:

In 2007, Missouri repealed their PTP licensing law, which required all handgun purchasers to apply for a permit through their local sheriff’s office. At that time, the share of crime guns recovered in Missouri that originated from Missouri sellers was 55.6%. By 2011, that share had increased to 70.8%, suggesting that repeal of the PTP law made it easier for Missouri criminals to purchase guns locally. The share of guns diverted to criminals shortly after a retail sale doubled following the law’s repeal.

Do gun laws work? Because strong gun laws are clearly associated with lower death rates, legislators should work to save lives in their communities by enacting smart gun laws.