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WHEREAS, waiting period laws are associated with reduced rates of firearm suicide.
<br />These laws have been shown to reduce firearm suicides by up to 11 percent.4 Waiting periods
<br />have also been shown to prevent suicide among older populations (who are generally at a
<br />heightened risk of attempting suicide). One study found that the "reduction in suicides for
<br />persons aged 55 years or older was much stronger in states that had instituted both waiting
<br />periods and background checks than in states that only changed background check
<br />requirements"5; and
<br />WHEREAS, waiting period laws also help reduce gun homicides by providing a
<br />cooling -off period that can interrupt some of the factors that incite violence against others,
<br />including family violence and intimate partner violence.6 One study found that waiting periods
<br />that delay firearm purchases by a few days can reduce gun homicides by 17 percent7; and
<br />WHEREAS, there is no federal waiting period. Nine states and the District of Columbia
<br />currently have waiting periods that apply to the purchase of some or all firearms —but Colorado
<br />is not among them. California,8 Hawaii,9 Illinois,10 Rhode Island," Florida,12 and the District of
<br />Columbia13 impose a statutory waiting period on all firearm purchases. Minnesota14 imposes five
<br />to seven-day waiting periods on purchases of handguns and assault weapons while Washington15
<br />imposes 10 day waiting periods for semiautomatic rifles. New Jersey16 and Maryland 17 have
<br />waiting periods for handgun purchases only. These waiting periods vary in length from 72 hours
<br />(for long guns in Illinois) to 14 days (for a permit to purchase a firearm in Hawaii); and
<br />WHEREAS, the American public overwhelmingly supports laws imposing a waiting
<br />period prior to the sale of a firearm. A 2020 study found that Americans routinely underestimate
<br />public support for gun safety measures including waiting periods: 85 percent of non -gun owners
<br />and 72 percent of gun owners support mandatory waiting periods for firearm purchases.18
<br />4 Michael Luca, Deepak Malhotra, and Christopher Poliquin, "Handgun Waiting Periods Reduce Gun Deaths," Proceedings of the
<br />National Academy of Sciences 114, no. 46 (2017): 12162-12165; see also Michael D. Anestis and Joye C. Anestis, "Suicide Rates
<br />and State Laws Regulating Access and Exposure to Handguns," American Journal of Public Health 105, no. 10 (2015): 2049-
<br />2058.
<br />6 Jens Ludwig & Philip Cook, "Homicide and Suicide Rates Associated with Implementation of the Brady Handgun Violence
<br />Prevention Act," JAMA (Aug. 2, 2000) 284(5):585-91.
<br />6 J. Davidson, K. R. Scherer, and H. H. Goldsmith, "The Role of Affect in Decision Making," Handbook of Affective Sciences
<br />(2003): 619-642; David Card and Gordon B. Dahl, "Family Violence and Football: The Effect of Unexpected Emotional Cues on
<br />Violent Behavior," The Quarterly Journal of Economics 126, no. 1 (2011): 103-143.
<br />7 Michael Luca, Deepak Malhotra, and Christopher Poliquin, "Handgun Waiting Periods Reduce Gun Deaths," Proceedings of the
<br />National Academy of Sciences 114, no. 46 (2017): 12162-12165.
<br />8 Cal. Penal Code §§ 26815(a), 26950-27140, 27540(a), 27600-27750.
<br />9 Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 134-2(e), 134-3(a).
<br />10 720 III. Comp. Stat. 5/24-3(A)(g).
<br />11 R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 11-47-35(a)(1), 11-47.35.1, 11-47-35.2.
<br />12 Fla. Const. art. I, § 8(b); Fla. Stat. § 790.0655.
<br />13 D.C. Code Ann. § 22-4508.
<br />14 Minn. Stat. § 624.7132, subd. 4.
<br />16 Rev. Code Wash. § 9.41.092
<br />16 N.J. Rev. Stat. §§ 2C:58-2a(5)(a), 2C:58-3i.
<br />17 Md. Code Ann., Pub. Safety §§ 5-123(a), 5-124(a).
<br />18 Graham Dixon et al., "Public Opinion Perceptions, Private Support, and Public Actions of US Adults Regarding Gun Safety
<br />Policy," JAMA (Dec. 22, 2020), 3(12):e2029571.
<br />Ordinance No. 1835, Series 2022
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