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New FBI Data Shows Brady Law Effective In Reducing Gun Crimes
Since enactment of the Brady Law in 1994, crimes with firearms are dropping faster than violent crime overall.
According to this year's FBI Uniform Crime Report, the use of guns in crime rose significantly from 1985 to 1993. However, since implementation of the Brady Law in February 1994, there has been a significant drop in the percentage of violent crimes committed with a firearm. A study by The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence showed that, since it's enactment, the Brady Law background check kept handguns out of the hands of over 312,000 prohibited purchasers - including 113 felons a day.
Analysis of the FBI data provides more compelling evidence that the Brady Law is working. The significant drop in the percentage of violent crimes committed with a firearm shows that, since all 50 states began doing the background checks in 1994, the Brady Law is working to make America safer from violent crime.
Compared to 1994, criminals in 1998 were less likely to use a firearm in the commission of a crime. The total number of all aggravated assaults since 1994 has fallen by 12.5% (1,113,179 to 974,402). The number of aggravated assaults with a firearm since 1994 has fallen by 31.4% (267,163 to 183,187). A similar trend can be seen for robberies. The number of all robberies since 1994 has fallen by 27.8% (618,949 to 446,625). The number of robberies committed with a firearm since 1994 has fallen by 33.7% (257,483 to 170,611). Additionally, the number of all murders since 1994 has fallen 23.4% (22,084 to 16,914), while the number of murders committed with a firearm has fallen 29% (15,463 to 10,977).
Since the Brady Law was implemented in early 1994 through the end of 1998, the overall proportion of aggravated assaults involving a firearm has fallen by 25% (25.1% to 18.8%). Additionally, the proportion of robberies committed with a firearm has fallen by 9.9% (42.4% to 38.2%). Murders committed with a firearm fell by 6.7% (69.6% to 64.9%).
The decrease in the use of firearms during robberies and aggravated assaults may help explain the overall decline in the murder rate. Injuries from firearms are more often lethal than injuries from other weapons; therefore, if fewer crimes are being committed with firearms, there would be fewer robberies and assault-related murders.
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