SUPPORT FOR NEW POLICIES TO REGULATE FIREARMS

Background New policy options are emerging in the debate regarding the regulation of firearms in the United States. These options include th e treatment of firearms as consumer products, the design of which can be regulated for safety; denial of gun ownership to those convicted of misdemeanors; and strategies to curtail the illegal sale of guns. The public's opinion of these innovative gun-policy options has not been thoroughly assessed. Methods We conducted two telephone surveys of 120 0 adults each in the United States in 1996 and 1997-1998. Cognitive in terviews and pretests were used in the development of the survey instr uments. Potential participants were then contacted by random-digit dia ling of telephone numbers. Results A majority of the respondents favor ed safety standards for new handguns. These standards included childpr oofing (favored by 88 percent of respondents), personalization (device s that permit firing only by an authorized person; 71 percent), magazi ne safeties (devices that prevent firing after the magazine or clip is removed; 82 percent), and loaded-chamber indicators (devices that sho w whether the handgun is loaded; 73 percent). There was strong support for policies prohibiting persons convicted of specific misdemeanors f rom purchasing a firearm. Support for such prohibitions was strongest for crimes involving violence or the illegal use of a firearm (83 to 9 5 percent) or substance abuse (71 to 92 percent). There was also wides pread support for policies designed to reduce the illegal sale of guns , such as mandatory tamper-resistant serial numbers (90 percent), a li mit of one handgun purchase per customer per month (81 percent), and m andatory registration of handguns (82 percent). Even among the subgrou p of respondents who were gun owners, a majority were in favor of stri cter gun regulations with regard to 20 of the 22 proposals covered in the poll. Conclusions Strong public support, even among gun owners, fo r innovative strategies to regulate firearms suggests that these propo sals warrant serious consideration by policy makers. (N Engl J Med 199 8; 339:813-8.) (C) 1998, Massachusetts Medical Society.