The researchers obtained data for all 170 U.S. cities with a 1980 population of at least 100,000. The cities were coded for the presence of 19 major categories of firearms restriction, including both State-level and city-level restrictions. Multiple indirect indicators of gun prevalence levels were measured, and models of city violence rates were estimated using two-stage least-squares methods. The models addressed all major categories of intentional violence and crime that often involve guns: homicide, suicide, fatal gun accidents, robbery, and aggravated assaults, as well as rape. findings indicate that gun prevalence levels generally have no net positive effect on total violence rates; homicide, gun assault, and rape rates increase gun prevalence; gun control restrictions have no net effect on gun prevalence levels; and gun-control restrictions generally have no net effect on violence rates. There were, however, some possible exceptions to this last conclusion. Of 108 assessments of effects of various gun laws on types of violence, seven showed significant support for the hypothesis of gun-control efficacy; another 11 yielded partial support. 4 tables, 1 figure, and 88 references