A study published last year in the journal Injury Prevention found
that the laws restricting purchases had had no measurable impact. The
study was done by a team of doctors from the University of Washington,
using data from 1979 to 1998.
Another study, done in 2001 by
the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, found evidence of
a slight decrease in gun violence associated with Maryland's one-gun
law.
With only California, Virginia and Maryland having such
laws, there isn't much evidence to be had. What is available raises
questions about the effect of limiting individuals to one handgun
purchase every 30 days.
Last year, all three one-gun states had
homicide rates above the national average - slightly above in
California and Virginia, well above in Maryland.
And Richmond,
Va., and Baltimore had homicide rates among the highest in the country.
Both cities reported well over 40 homicides per 100,000 residents,
compared with about 25 for Philadelphia.
"There is no shortage
of guns on the streets of Baltimore," said Margaret Burns, spokeswoman
for the State's Attorney's Office for Baltimore.
