THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH, established in 1943, is a publicly supported, nonpartisan research and educational organization. Its purpose is to assist policy makers, scholars, businessmen, the press and the public by providing objective analysis of national and international issues. Views expressed in the institute's publications are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, advisory panels, officers or trustees of AEI. Institute publications take three major forms: 1. 2. Legislative Analyses-balanced analyses of current proposals before the Congress, prepared with the help of specialists from the academic world and the fields of law and government. Studies-in-depth studies and monographs about government programs and major national and international problems, written by independent scholars. 3. Rational Debates, Meetings, and Symposia-proceedings of debates, discussions, and conferences where eminent authorities with contrasting views discuss controversial issues. ADVISORY BOARD Paul W. McCracken, Chairman, Edmund Ezra Day University Professor of Business Administration, University of Michigan R. H. Coase, Professor of Economics, University of Chicago Milton Friedman, Paul S. Russell Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, Gottfried Haberler, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research C. Lowell Harriss, Professor of Economics, Columbia University George Lenczowski, Professor of Political Science, University of California, Robert A. Nisbet, Albert Schweitzer Professor of the Humanities, Columbia University James A. Robinson, President, University of West Florida EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Herman J. Schmidt, Chairman of the Board William J. Baroody, President Charles T. Fisher III, Treasurer Richard J. Farrell Dean P. Fite Richard B. Madden SENIOR STAFF Anne Brunsdale, Director of Publications Joseph G. Butts, Director of Legislative Analysis Robert B. Helms, Director of Health Policy Studies Thomas F. Johnson, Director of Research Gary L. Jones, Assistant to the President for Administration W. S. Moore, Director of Legal Policy Studies Robert J. Pranger, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies Louis M. Thompson, Jr., Assistant to the President for Communication David G. Tuerck, Director, Center for Research on Advertising 理 INTRODUCTION Almost two hundred bills relating to gun control have been introduced in the House and Senate in the first session of the 94th Congress. These bills range from proposals to weaken existing controls by repealing the Gun Control Act of 19681 to proposals that would outlaw the private ownership of handguns. As this analysis goes to press, House and Senate subcommittees have held hearings on somewhat similar bills. The House bill (H.R. 11193) was introduced by House subcommittee chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.). The Senate bill (committee print), which has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, is a revised version of a bill (S. 1880) introduced by Senator Birch Bayh (D-Ind.).2 The first section of this analysis briefly outlines the legislative history of federal gun control efforts-from enactment of the War Revenue Act of 19193 to the bills currently pending before the 94th Congress-and includes a summary of the stated purposes of the primary bills. Section two explores the basic issues that have been debated, and presents the major arguments for and against federal gun controls. The last section summarizes the significant provisions of the two major bills and of related proposals. |