Legislators have formulated a variety of state and federal regulations to make obtaining
firearms more difficult for dangerous people. Even though this goal may appear hopeless in
the face of the 150—200 million guns currently in circulation, both evidence and economic
logic suggest otherwise. Guns are scarce commodities, and policies that would make them
scarcer, to reduce violent crimes that involve guns, warrant consideration. Possibilities
include state-level regulation of gun dealers, interdiction of black markets where stolen guns …