Via The Trace:
“The pervasive rightwing case against tougher gun regulation is neatly captured by this soundbite from Marco Rubio:
“My skepticism about gun laws is criminals don’t follow the law,” the Republican senator and presidential candidate has said. “They don’t care what the law is, you can pass any law you want and criminals won’t follow it.”
But as Evan DeFilippis and Devin Hughes extensively document in their latest “Armed With Reason” column, the scientific evidence suggests precisely the opposite: Criminals do routinely respond to incentives, and policies such as background checks and permit-to-purchase requirements demonstrably save lives by reducing criminal access to firearms.
The real problem, then, isn’t that criminals don’t follow laws. It’s that strong gun laws are undermined by lax regulations in neighboring jurisdictions and loopholes in the federal system.
As Congress returns from recess and gun violence prevention groups make a renewed push for new safety measures, the article makes for essential reading, debunking a myth that has warped past debates.
Key point: “If gun regulations can effectively dampen the supply of new firearms and ammunition, thereby making transactions more challenging to complete, prices will rise and criminals will be more hesitant to obtain a firearm — and may even forgo it altogether.”
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