Knowing what to do starts with knowing what works, and what hasn't. CrimeSolutions helps practitioners and policymakers understand what programs & practices work, are promising, or haven't worked yet.
On this page you can find programs and practices related to Weapons Violations. Select "Search Filters" to narrow down the list by rating, extent of evidence, and many other aspects of the programs or practices. Skip to Practices
CrimeSolutions’ ratings are assigned from standardized reviews of rigorous evaluations and meta-analyses. While we encourage you to learn more about this process, you don’t need to in order to benefit from it. Our clear ratings and profiles can help you determine if a program or category of program is worth pursuing.
Evidence Ratings Defined
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Rating
Description
Effective
Implementing the program, or a program encompassed by the practice, will achieve the intended outcome.
Promising
Implementing the program, or a program encompassed by the practice, will achieve the intended outcome.
Ineffective
Implementing the program, or a program encompassed by the practice, will not achieve the intended outcome.
Negative Effects
Implementing the program, or program encompassed by the practice, will not result in intended outcome(s) and may result in harmful effects.
Gang Crime, Gun violence, Law enforcement, Crime prevention
This was a focused deterrence intervention designed to reduce the presence of gun violence and gang activity. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant reduction in confirmed shots fired, residents’ reports of hearing gunshots, and residents’ reports of seeing gang activity. However, there was no statistically significant impact on calls for service for shots fired.
This initiative involves proactive policing, enhanced enforcement, sentences for individuals who repeatedly offend, and collaboration among multiple stakeholders. The program’s goal is to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The program is rated Promising. The implementation of the program led to a statistically significant reduction in violent crime in the treatment group relative to the control group. However, there was no statistically significant impact on the rate of gun crimes.
This is a prosecutor-led pretrial diversion program to rehabilitate individuals convicted of misdemeanor or felony offenses who are at medium risk of reoffending. The program is rated Ineffective. There were statistically significant reductions in cases dismissed for treatment group individuals, compared with control group individuals. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the 2-year rearrest rate or days to first rearrest.
This is a temporary outdoor street-lighting program designed to reduce nighttime crime in public housing developments experiencing elevated crime rates. The program is rated Promising. Installing additional light towers in treated developments resulted in statistically significant reductions in complaints of index crimes, felony crimes, assaults, homicides, and weapons crimes at night, compared with control developments. There were no statistically significant differences in misdemeanor crimes.
This environmental crime-prevention measure was enacted as a city ordinance and required property owners of abandoned buildings (that often serve as havens for illicit drugs and related crime) to install working doors and windows in all structural openings or be subject to significant fines. This program is rated Promising. The results show that the program was associated with statistically significant citywide reductions in overall crimes and all nuisance crimes, but not in violent gun crimes.
Gun violence, Homicide, Mandatory sentencing, Community policing, Crime prevention
A crime reduction strategy in Richmond, Virginia implemented to deter former and persons with the potential to commit a crime from carrying and using firearms, with an overall goal of reducing firearm-related homicides. The project is rated Promising. Firearm-related homicides decreased significantly in the target area, compared with other U.S. cities where the program was not implemented.
Transfer of serious and violent juveniles from juvenile court to adult court based on criteria, such as age, seriousness of offense, and use of a deadly weapon. The program is rated Ineffective. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that transferring juveniles to adult court had no impact on measures of arrests.
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Weapons violations, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Warrants, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Trauma, Young juvenile offenders, Crime prevention, Assault
This is a problem-solving police strategy, which was designed to reduce gang violence, illegal gun possession, and gun violence in communities in Boston, Mass. The program is rated Effective. There were statistically significant reductions in youth homicide, citywide gun assaults, calls for service, and recovered new guns following implementation of the intervention.
This mail campaign aimed to deter illegal firearm transactions in Los Angeles, Calif., using a letter outlining the regulations and laws surrounding firearm ownership. The program is rated Promising. Those who received a letter were more than twice as likely to report their firearms stolen than those who did not receive the letter. However, there was no statistically significant impact on whether the firearm was later used in a crime.
Weapons violations, Drug possession, Drug trafficking, Cocaine, Evidence, Surveillance, Warrants, Problem-oriented policing, Law enforcement, Law enforcement operations, Arrests, Policing strategies, Crime prevention, Public order offenses
This was a special police unit that conducted raids of crack houses to reduce crack-related crime and improve public order in Kansas City, Mo. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in calls for service (including calls for violent, property, and disorder offenses) and reported offenses (including violent and property offenses).
Gang Crime, Weapons violations, Assault, Gun violence, Homicide, Kidnapping, Robbery, Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Trauma, Crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement
This was a policing initiative that targeted specific gangs in the Hollenbeck area of Los Angeles, California, through aggressive enforcement and problem-oriented policing. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant reduction in overall violent crimes in targeted blocks, compared with matched comparison blocks. However, there was no statistically significant effect on gang crimes or gun crimes.
This is a court program in western Michigan designed to divert people convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) from jail, eliminate substance use, and reduce recidivism. The program is rated Promising. At the 2-year follow up, program participants were less likely to be rearrested and had longer time to first-rearrest, compared with control group participants. These differences were statistically significant. However, there were no significant differences between groups for alcohol or drug
Reducing gun violence is a persistent public policy concern for communities, policymakers and leaders. To reduce gun violence, several strategies have been deployed including public health approaches (e.g., training and safe gun storage); gun buy-back programs; gun laws; and law enforcement strategies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing violent gun offenses.
Weapons violations, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Policing strategies, Property crime, Crime prevention, Law enforcement, Crime prevention, Larceny/theft, Patrol, Law enforcement operations, Arrests, Law enforcement, Drugs, Public order offenses
Hot spots policing strategies focus on small geographic areas or places, usually in urban settings, where crime is concentrated. Through hot spots policing strategies, law enforcement agencies can focus limited resources in areas where crime is most likely to occur. This practice is rated Effective for reducing overall crime and rated Promising for reducing violent, property, public order, and drug and alcohol offenses.
