Gun Control Laws and Enforcement Trends 2024

Report Highlights

  • The amount of State gun laws nearly doubled between 1991 and 2016 (Source).
  • The first Federal gun control law was passed in the 1934 National Firearms Act, which limited civilians’ access to machine guns, suppressors, short-barreled shotguns, and others (Source).
  • Between 1886 and 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States interpreted the Second Amendment to include the right of the individual to keep and bear arms six times.
  • Homicides (all methods) increased 27% from 1968 to 2021.
  • Homicide rates increased 28% while incarceration rates fell 15% during the 2020 pandemic.
  • The 1994 Crime Bill authorized $12.5 Billion dollars for law enforcement, while the ATF receives $1.5 billion annually to enforce Federal firearm laws.
  • The ATF seized more than 360,000 firearms in 2021 (Source).

Timeline of Federal Firearm Laws in the U.S.

Laws

  • 1934 National Firearms Act
  • 1938 Federal Firearms Act
  • 1968 Gun Control Act
  • 1986 Firearm Owner’s Protection Act
  • 1988 Undetectable Firearms Act
  • 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act
  • 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
  • 1994 Public Safety & Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act
  • 2022 Protecting Our Kids Act

Supreme Court Cases Involving Individual’s Rights to Bear Arms

Economic Costs of Enforcing Gun Laws

  • ATF – 2022 – $1.5 Billion
  • NICS – 2022 – $8.4 Billion
  • Criminal Justice System – 2022 – $12.62 Billion

*Compared to $2.8 Billion in medical costs yearly.

ATF Conviction Stats

  • 34,436 Cases Initiated
  • 10,138 Recommended for prosecution
  • 6,315 Prosecuted
  • 5,338 Convicted

*The Federal Government prosecutes 18% of all cases initiated.

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