VPC

Less Gun Dealers, Less Crime

The Drop in Federally Licensed Firearms Dealers in the Midwest

Introduction

The number of federally licensed gun dealers buying and selling firearms off of their kitchen tables has dropped dramatically in the Midwest as a result of the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (the "Brady Law") and the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. In nine midwestern states, the number of Type 1 Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders fell an average of 70 percent as a result of enforcement of little known provisions of these laws.

Many factors have contributed to the drop in crime in the midwestern states over the last eight years. Among the contributing forces have been national and local gun control laws. The reduced number of licensed firearms dealers in the Midwest has no doubt played a role in the falling number of firearm deaths in this region.

Go to Section One: More Gun Dealers Than Gas Stations

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All contents ï¿½ 2000 Violence Policy Center

The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.