Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence

About the author: The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence seeks to reduce gun violence through education, research, legal advocacy, and outreach to the entertainment community.

The Brady Law—which instituted a background check and waiting period prior to commercial gun purchases—has helped decrease crime and save lives. The law has reduced the availability of guns and their subsequent use by criminals in all states, including those that already required background checks. Since the implementation of the act in 1994, gun use by violent criminals in fatal robberies and assaults has declined. In order to further reduce gun violence, gun registration and background checks on private sales must be implemented.

In August 2000, the Journal of the American Medical...