The Daily Bulletin Archive

James Sobol, associate professor of criminal justice, will share his research as part of the Year of the City Emerging Scholar series on Friday, April 12, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. This series of presentations provides faculty members with an opportunity to share their intellectual work with the rest of the campus.

Sobol notes that there is hardly a more argumentative issue in American politics today than guns. Tens of thousands of people are injured or killed by firearms each year. Firearms are used to defend against and deter an unknown number of acts of violence; they are also used frequently for recreational purposes. For public authorities to make reasonable policies on these matters, they must take into account divergent constitutional claims and divided public opinion as well as facts about the relationship between guns and violence.

A large body of research on firearms has addressed the consequences of firearm usage in crimes, particularly homicide. Studies suggest that firearm usage increases crime-related injury severity and mortality. It has been reported that firearms increase the likelihood of death by 40 times compared to incidents not involving any weapon. Conversely, knives increase the likelihood of death by four times, highlighting the particularly serious nature of firearm violence.

Adequate data and research are essential to judge both the effects of firearms on violence and the effects of different violence-control policies. Those judgments are key to many important policy questions. Sobol's presentation focuses largely on what we know about reducing guns and gun violence, and comprehensively explores one gun-violence-reducing initiative: gun buyback programs. It aims to inform policymakers about existing evidence and highlight what other strategies police departments might use to effectively address the problems of guns and gun crime.