The American public and the gun control debate
Article Abstract:
Recent opinion polls suggest that many Americans support limited gun control but draw the line at a total handgun ban. According to 14 opinion polls done between 1959 and 1996, 41% of American households owned guns in 1994, down from 48% in 1973. Ownership of shotguns and rifles has dropped while ownership of handguns has risen. Gun ownership is highest in the South and The Rocky Mountain states. A majority of Americans believe that gun ownership is a Constitutional right even though the Supreme Court and the American Bar Association disagree. Most Americans support limiting the sale of guns to people with a criminal history, as well as the Brady Act and the registration of handguns. They also support the ban on semiautomatic weapons but only 40% would support banning all handguns. Less than one-third support laws that allow civilians to carry handguns. Even those who do not own guns fear that strict gun control laws will result in a total handgun ban.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
The Public and the Comprehensive Tobacco Bill
Article Abstract:
Comprehensive antitobacco legislation will garner more public support if it is focused on reducing teen smoking, holding the industry accountable for health-related damages, and clearly delineating the spending of cigarette-tax revenue. Antitobacco legislation failed in Congress in 1998 in the face of lukewarm public support for a package of higher cigarette taxes, punitive industry regulation, and shielding the industry from liability for smoking. Researchers reviewed over 100 national surveys from 1957 to 1998, and found public understanding of the health effects of smoking has risen steadily. The public largely supports industry regulation and liability, and a strong government role in smoking reduction. Only 32% of the public believes that increasing cigarette taxes will reduce teen smoking.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
The public and the war on illicit drugs
Article Abstract:
A review of 47 national surveys conducted between 1978 and 1997 shows that many Americans do not believe the War on Drugs has been a success. However, many want the war to continue and most favor severe penalties for the sale, possession and use of drugs. They seem to prefer preventive efforts over drug treatment, perhaps because they perceive many drug treatment programs as ineffective. Many Americans support the prescribing of marijuana for certain illnesses but do not support the legalization of marijuana or other drugs. Most Americans get their information about illicit drug use from the media.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: The working wounded: strokes. The menopause: The working wounded
- Abstracts: Famotidine for the prevention of gastric and duodenal ulcers caused by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Gastrointestinal damage associated with the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs
- Abstracts: Tobacco - the growing epidemic in China. A nationally representative case-control study of smoking and death in India
- Abstracts: Teaching patients to be better insurance owners, users. Beyond the ballot
- Abstracts: Gonococcal susceptibility to antimicrobials in Baltimore, 1988-1994: what was the impact of ciprofloxacin as first-line therapy for gonorrhea?