Can Gun Control Work?

The last decade has seen several waterdehds in the gun debate, noe more important than the 1993 Brady Bill. That Bill, James B. Jacobs argues, was the culmination of a stategy in place since the 1930s to permit widespread private ownership of guns while curtailling illegal use. But where do we go from here? While the Brady background check is easily circumvented, any further attampts to extend gun control for instance, through comprehensive licensing of all gun owners and registration of all guns would pose monumental administrative burdens. Jacobs moves beyond easy slogans and broad brush ideology to examine the on the ground practicalities of gin control, from mandatory saftey locks to outright prohibition and disarmament. 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.