Beyond Control: Drug Prohibition, Gun Regulation, and the Search for Sensible Alternatives

Does gun control work? What about drug prohibition? In this cogent examination of two of America's most enduring challenges, Reason Senior Editor Jacob Sullum traces the evolution of gun and drug laws from their dubious beginnings to today's divisive rhetoric. Based on data-driven analysis and compassionate consideration of the human costs imposed by the twin crusades against guns and drugs, Sullum recommends an alternative approach that focuses on reducing harm, including the harm caused by misguided policies.

Sullum exposes the racist roots of gun control and drug control, noting that both policies continue to have a racially disproportionate impact. Even leaving aside the legacy of that dark history, he argues, both policies are unjust because they punish people for conduct that violates no one's rights. They are also dangerous to civil liberties because they encourage the expansion of government power at the expense of individual freedom.

The burdens imposed by gun control and drug control reinforce each other, since gun possession increases penalties for drug offenses and drug offenses disqualify people from legally possessing guns. Yet there is little logic to these legal regimes, which penalize people for behavior that is not inherently criminal.

Decades of research have produced scant evidence that popular gun control prescriptions such as assault weapon bans, universal background checks, restrictions on ownership, and red flag laws work as advertised. Research on the impact of the war on drugs likewise provides little reason to believe that its doubtful benefits outweigh its myriad costs. In both cases, the burdens often fall on peaceful individuals who pose no threat to public safety, and the policies seem ill-designed to reduce the problems they aim to address.

Sullum notes that critics of gun control and critics of the war on drugs make similar points, complaining that these policies are unfair, invasive, poorly targeted, and ineffective. But because these two sets of critics tend to come from opposing political camps, they usually overlook their common ground. Beyond Control surveys that territory, showing that conservatives and progressive share concerns about overcriminalization, overzealous law enforcement, draconian penalties, and the erosion of civil liberties.

Substance abuse, violence, and suicide are complex problems that cannot be solved by targeting inanimate objects or by arresting and incarcerating people who possess them. Beyond Control urges better-tailored alternatives that would do more good while causing less harm.