Should violent criminals be permitted to buy handguns? US federal law says yes and no. People who have been convicted of felony crimes are prohibited from purchasing handguns, but people convicted of misdemeanors—including violent misdemeanors that do not involve violence against an intimate partner—are not. Were Congress to extend the prohibition on handgun sales to include persons convicted of violent misdemeanors, it could do so with the public's approval. A recent survey of US adults found strong support for policies to prohibit persons convicted of misdemeanors, even nonviolent misdemeanors, from purchasing handguns—but is this a policy worth pursuing?
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0098-7484 UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -