Is gun control effective? It is in Hawaii

The horrific attack in Las Vegas — the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history — has left many Americans feeling helpless.

The facts are grim. There are nearly as many guns as there are people in the United States. Since the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there have been more than 1,500 incidents where four or more people have been shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that roughly 33,000 deaths are linked to gun violence each year.

To reduce firearm-related violence in America, we need to acknowledge that there are simply too many guns in this country — and that they are too easy to get.

The empirical literature on firearm policy is complex, but most studies support one clear conclusion: Places with more guns have more gun-related deaths and violence. After reviewing 130 studies in 10 different countries, one comprehensive analysis in Epidemiologic Reviews determined that laws restricting the purchase of and access to firearms were strongly associated with lower rates of homicide and unintentional deaths.

Easy access to guns in the United States has made it easier for Americans to take their own lives, too. Having a firearm in the house dramatically increases the risk of a family member committing suicide.

The high rate of gun ownership also endangers our police. More guns are associated with higher homicide rates for law enforcement.

Strict regulations cannot protect us from all gun violence — but they can dramatically reduce it.

There is no better example of their potential for success than here in Hawaii. In 2014, Hawaii had the lowest firearm death rate in the nation, with a mere 2.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to a rate of 14.8 in Nevada and an astonishing rate of 19.2 in Alaska.

To be sure, the relative wealth and prosperity of the state contributes to its lower crime rates, as well as a local culture that values compromise and accommodation over confrontation.

But the state’s tough gun laws play a major role in keeping us safe. In 2015, Guns & Ammo magazine ranked Hawaii as the state with some of strictest laws in the nation, and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence graded Hawaii as the state with the seventh-strongest gun laws.

Even as many states on the mainland have made it easier to own firearms or to carry concealed weapons, our state legislators have continued to pass common-sense restrictions on gun ownership.

Earlier this year, Gov. David Ige signed into law several new laws regulating guns.

We should all be proud that Hawaii will become the first state to adopt the FBI’s “Rap Back” system that will notify local law enforcement agencies when a registered gun owner is arrested anywhere in the United States. Two other bills prevent residents convicted of sexual assault or those with serious psychological problems from owning firearms.

In recent years, the National Rifle Association and its allies in Congress have attempted to pass preemption bills that would prevent state and local governments from regulating firearms more aggressively than federal law. These laws would make it nearly impossible for states like Hawaii to keep their own citizens safe from gun violence — and they would almost certainly lead to more gun-related deaths.

Hawaii’s experience demonstrates how we can end the scourge of gun violence in this country by strictly regulating access to firearms, while still allowing for responsible gun ownership. Congress should take note.

Colin Moore is an associate professor of political science and director of the Public Policy Center at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.