The authors tested the hypothesis that greater enforcement of existing laws against carrying concealed weapons would reduce firearms violence in Kansas City, Missouri.
Using a quasi-experimental target beat/comparison beat design, data were obtained over a 6-month period in a 10 x 8 block area of Kansas City with a homicide rate 20 times higher than the national average. It was found that intensive police patrol near gun crime hot spots produced a 65-percent increase in the number of firearms seized by the police. Gun-related crimes declined in the target area by 49 percent, with no significant displacement to patrol beats surrounding the target area. Neither gun-related crimes nor guns seized significantly changed in the comparison beat several miles away. Further research is recommended to see if similar results can be obtained in other geographic areas and to determine if cities without Federal funding can obtain comparable results with fewer police patrol hours. 29 references, 7 footnotes, 3 tables, and 4 figures
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