The illegal carrying of handguns in public places is as predictive of imminent violence as are many other activities that have become the focus of directed patrol efforts. The decision to mount a serious enforcement effort against illegal carrying of handguns raises serious questions about how much crime can be reduced, how unfairly increased police intrusiveness will be distributed, and how each effect of the policy will be valued. Although these questions cannot be answered definitively, some empirical data suggest that the benefits of increased enforcement of gun control laws outweigh the liabilities. Results of empirical investigations into police practices with respect to weapons enforcement reveal that weapons arrests occur as a byproduct of other enforcement activities and that the most important factor determining aggregate levels of weapons arrests is the general proactivity of the police department. Some empirical results suggest that police departments can shift to proactive strategies and increase the level of weapons arrests without dramatically changing the demographic characteristics of those arrested. Crucial unanswered questions that could be properly addressed in future research include the effectiveness of such a strategy in reducing violent crime and the administrative means of changing police strategies against weapons offenses. Data tables and 14 footnotes are included. For related articles, see NCJ 75304. (Author abstract modified)