irearms Laws and the Reduction of Violence Systematic Review

he Task Force on Community Preventive Services (the Task Force) is conducting systematic reviews of scientific evidence about diverse interventions or the prevention of violence, and resulting injury and eath, including, among others, early childhood home isitation,1,2 therapeutic foster care,3 the transfer of juveiles to the adult justice system, school programs for the eaching of prosocial behavior, and community policing. his report presents findings about the effectiveness of rearms laws in preventing violence. Studies of the followng firearms laws were included in the review: bans on pecified firearms or ammunition; restrictions on firearms cquisition; waiting periods for firearms acquisition; firerms registration; licensing of firearms owners; “shall ssue” carry laws that allow people who pass background hecks to carry concealed weapons; child access prevenion laws; zero tolerance laws for firearms in schools; and ombinations of firearms laws. The Task Force found the evidence available from dentified studies was insufficient to determine the effeciveness of any of the firearms laws reviewed singly or in ombination. A finding that evidence is insufficient to etermine effectiveness means that we do not yet know hat effect, if any, the law has on an outcome—not that he law has no effect on the outcome. This report decribes how the reviews were conducted, gives detailed nformation about the Task Force’s findings, and provides nformation about research gaps and priority areas for uture research.