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The repeal of gun control laws was a prominent element of Patrick Buchanan's 1996 Republican primary campaign. A number of Republican candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate [...]

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.

Many gun owners who participate in formal firearm training programs may store loaded guns in unlocked locations in their homes. Between May and June of 1994, researchers surveyed 800 adult gun owners to determine the owners' participation rate in firearm training programs, current methods of weapons storage, and the relationship between these variables. Fifty-six percent of gun owners had participated in a formal firearm training course. Twenty-one percent kept a loaded firearm unlocked in their home. Those who owned a gun for protection, handgun owners, and those who participated in a firearms training program were most likely to store a loaded firearm in an unlocked location in the home. Neither the recency of participation in a gun training program, the type of program, nor the program's duration had a significant effect on gun storage practices., Objective.--To determine the extent of firearm training among gun owners, how gun owners currently store their weapons, and the relationship between gun training and gun storage. Design and Setting.--A national random telephone survey of gun owners conducted from May through June 1994. Participants.--A total of 800 adult gun owners residing in the United States. Main Outcome Measures.--Number of gun owners who received firearm training and number who store a firearm loaded and unlocked. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with firearm training and gun storage practices. Results.--A total of 451 (56%) of gun owners have received firearm training. A total of 170 (21%) of gun owners keep a firearm both loaded and unlocked in the home. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of storing guns loaded and unlocked included owning a gun for protection (odds ratio [OR], 2.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62 to 3.54), owning a handgun (OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.85 to 5.95), and having received firearm training (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.67). Length of firearm training and how recently training was received have little effect on storage practices. Conclusion.--It has been suggested that many homicide, suicide, and accidental firearm injuries might be prevented if ready access to lethal weapons was reduced, in part through appropriate storage of guns. Although increased training has been advocated as the prime method to improve gun storage practices, our results cast doubt on whether firearm training, at least as currently provided, will substantially reduce the inappropriate storage of firearms. (JAMA. 1995; 273:46-50)

An analysis of data provided by the Fatal Accident Reporting System reveals that 19% of all road accidents in the US in 1989-90 were hit-and-run cases caused by drunk-driving. Young males with aggressive antisocial attitudes are more likely to cause motor accidents while in a drunken state. Offenders' desertion of accident victims results either from a fear of punishment or a total disregard for social norms and practices.

Recent outbreaks of measles and other childhood diseases have put immunization policy on the national agenda. This teaching note on childhood immunization, intended for principles courses, discusses the rationale for [...]

Two options for dissatisfied customers are to voice their grievances or to stop doing business with the offending organization. The choice may be influenced by buyer loyalty. Data for a major Health Maintenance Organization are used to explore the empirical relationship among complaint (voice), disenrollment (exit), and time-in-plan (loyalty). Voice and exit are often used together. Compared to non-complainers, those who register medical complaints are four and one-half times more likely to leave the plan voluntarily. Time-in-plan reduces the likelihood of both voluntary and involuntary disenrollment. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

People who own handguns and who bought those guns to protect themselves are more likely to keep the gun loaded than people who own other types of firearms. A survey of 605 registered gun owners over the age of 18 found that more than one third kept the gun loaded all or part of the time. Over half did not keep the gun locked up. Those who bought handguns for protection and those who did not have children were more likely to keep the guns loaded. Southerners and members of minorities were also more likely to keep their guns loaded. The US General Accounting Office reports that 1,501 unintentional deaths from firearms occurred in 1988, and 277 of these were children. Most of the deaths occurred in or near the home, and handguns were involved in over 70% of the incidents. Many handgun owners do not follow important safety procedures, and easy access to a loaded gun may be a factor in many unintentional deaths, suicides and homicides.

A recent trend in health care has been the proliferation of for-profit ambulatory care centers. Physicians practicing in these clinics may be affected by pressure from management or investors to generate revenues. Little research has been done on the behavior and decisions of doctors in response to financial incentives in outpatient settings. A study was done of physicians working for Health Stop, a large chain of for-profit ambulatory medical care centers. In 1985, Health Stop changed the compensation plan for its physicians from an hourly rate to a system of financial incentives in which the individual doctor would get bonuses based on the amount of income that he or she generated. The medical care and diagnostic tests ordered by 15 physicians were evaluated before and after the change to the financial incentive plan. After the change, physicians ordered 23 percent more laboratory tests per patient and 16 percent more X-rays per visit. The total charges per month rose by an average of 20 percent, and much of this increase was attributed to a 12 percent increase in the number of patient visits. Several doctors who frequently earned bonuses received an average 19 percent pay raise. This study demonstrated that physicians may respond to significant financial incentive by intensifying their medical practice, particularly by ordering more diagnostic procedures. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)