Background Checks For Guns Could Save Many Lives: Study [View all]

Background Checks For Guns Could Save Many Lives: Study

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/background-checks-gun-deaths_us_56e22db5e4b065e2e3d5776d?utm_hp_ref=politics

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Laws requiring background checks for buyers of guns and ammunition, as well as requirements that firearms be traceable, could sharply reduce gun deaths in the United States, according to a study published on Thursday.

Many state-level gun regulations have little effect on the number of gun-related homicides and suicides. But "stand-your-ground" laws, which allow people to use deadly force in self-defense even if fleeing is an option, tend to raise the number of gun deaths, the study by Boston University researchers published in the Lancet medical journal found.

"Very few of the existing state-specific firearms laws are associated with reduced mortality, and this evidence underscores the importance of focusing on relevant and effective firearms legislation," said Sandro Galea, dean of the School of Public Health at Boston University, an author of the study.

"Implementing universal background checks for the purchase of firearms or ammunition, and firearm identification nationally could substantially reduce mortality in the U.S."



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