Customer Reviews

Can Gun Control Work? (Studies in Crime and Public Policy)

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This book should be must reading for the anti-gun crowd, although they won't read it. It is too slanted toward the truth; it discusses the pros and cons of the gun control debate--to the detriment of both sides, but more slanted toward the free guns side (although he does advocate some gun controls). The major arguement against the book from the anti-gun folks is that he points out, in a clear and succint manner, why most gun controls won't work; mostly the arguement usually heard that criminals simply won't abide by any law, no matter how well-intentioned. There's also the issue of loopholes, which he holds up for all to see. However, he does argue for closing gun shows (or at least extending the Brady Bill to cover them)...and then points out how even this won't help as people intent on obtaining guns can easily get them from people who want to sell them. Usually private parties.
Unfortunately, most gun control advocates won't ever read this, as they don't want to be confronted with the facts, preferring to live in their own fantasy world where everything will be fine if we just pass enough laws. It's irrelavent that there aren't enough police or other law enforcement personnel to enforce such laws.
Pro-gun forces will find succinct arguements against almost anything the anti-gun crowd can throw against them. They already know the facts; it is just that the other side refuses to accept reality.

At least, that's the argument, as well presented in this book.

Over the last few years, I've read most of the books written on this subject, from Michael A. Bellesiles' "Arming America" to John Lott's "More Guns, Less Crime."

"Can Gun Control Work?" stands head and shoulders above the rest. First, Jacobs has carefully described the history of gun control in the United States (and for the most part, the book focuses on the US). Second, he takes a careful look at what the problem actually is -- is it accidents? suicides? homicides? Jacobs does a very rigorous (but not dry) job of explaining what the statistics actually show about gun violence -- poking some holes in commonly accepted myths from both sides of the debate.

Finally, I think he does a very good and pragmatic job of looking at what gun control measures may actually work. Our national discussion about gun control is dominated by emotional outbursts about gun rights on the one hand and about gun risks on the other -- this book steers clear of emotion to examine what is really happening, and what we can really do about it.

Jacobs reaches conclusions that will annoy gun rights advocates (gun shows are impossible to police and should probably be banned outright) and conclusions that will annoy anti-gun activists (a ban on handguns would be just as impossible to enforce as our drug laws). He calls 'em as he see 'em.

I would recommend this book to both pro and anti-gun readers without any reservation.

The author does hit on many of the common arguments both for and against gun control issues and attempts to clarify both sides positions but in doing so he fails to answer the title question of the book. In contrast to the closing statement in the book description; "Casting aside ideology and abstractions, he cautions against the belief that there exists some gun control solution which, had we the political will to seize it, would substantially reduce violent crime.", the author suggests that several gun-controls be enacted while acknowledging that there is little if any evidence that the controls would have any effect at all.

The book is a good indtoduction to the debate for someone with little or no understanding of the major points but the closing recommendations appear unfounded.