Government Legislation

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  • Profiles of people on two sides of a debate, image by Kubkoo/Getty Images and Chara Williams/RAND Corporation

    Essay

    Exploring the Disagreement Among Gun Policy Experts

    A survey asked gun policy researchers, advocates, and congressional staffers who work on gun issues for their views on policies ranging from weapon bans to stand-your-ground laws. Regardless of where they stood, they were not so dissimilar in what they thought gun policies should be trying to accomplish.

    Mar 7, 2022

  • David Luckey, senior international and defense researcher, and Jayme Fuglesten, director of Congressional Relations at RAND, on Capitol Hill, photo by Grace Evans/RAND Corporation

    Q&A

    A New Approach to Fighting Synthetic Opioids: Q&A with David Luckey and Jayme Fuglesten

    The opioid crisis isn't just about drug policy or law. It involves national security, homeland security, intelligence, diplomacy, supply chain issues, and cryptocurrency. Drawing on RAND's expertise across all those areas, the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking delivered a plan, a call to action about what it's going to take to save lives.

    Apr 26, 2022

Explore Government Legislation

  • Social media applications on a smartphone screen, photo by P. Kijsanayothin/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Protecting Free Speech Compels Some Form of Social Media Regulation

    Given the profound challenges posed by social media, corrective measures need to go beyond “deplatforming” bad apples. But how can the United States make such a structural change without compromising the democratic tradition of free speech?

    Oct 20, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Reconstructing Ukraine, Wildfires, Telehealth: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on reconstructing Ukraine, what to do about wildfires, virtual mental health care services, and more.

    Jun 16, 2023

  • Psilocybin mushrooms displayed by a grower in Denver, Colorado, November 4, 2020, photo by Trevor Hughes/Reuters

    Commentary

    State and Local Policy Is Changing for Psychedelics. What Will the Feds Do?

    Psychedelics are attracting interest as a treatment for some mental health conditions. In response, some states and cities are changing their laws and policies on the supply and use of these mind-altering substances. But like cannabis, most psychedelics are federally prohibited—raising some tough questions for the federal government.

    Jun 12, 2023

  • Icons and lights coming out of a cell phone on a flat surface, photo by David Peperkamp/Getty Images

    Commentary

    How Can Platforms Deal with Toxic Content? Look to Wall Street

    Social media has a content problem. It's not the content itself, although the list of toxic material is long. The problem is the sheer volume of content. Instead of trusting in self-regulation, the United States could use its regulation of Wall Street after 2008 as a roadmap for regulating tech.

    May 26, 2023

  • News Release

    News Release

    Online Tool Allows State-by-State Analysis of Firearm Policies and Death Rates

    States in the northeast and the coastal west region of the United States have among the lowest firearm death rates in the nation, while states in the south and mountain west have firearm death rates that are especially high.

    Feb 23, 2023

  • Tool

    Tool

    Visualizing Firearm Mortality and Law Effects: An Interactive Web-Based Tool

    This tool provides users with information about the distribution of firearm deaths across states and demographic subgroups. Users can explore how those deaths might be affected by the implementation of a set of commonly enacted state firearm laws.

    Feb 23, 2023

  • , photo by Anthony Plascencia/The Star/USAToday Network via Reuterss

    Commentary

    Senate Bill 9's Underwhelming First Year Shouldn't Be a Surprise; It Was by Design

    In 2021, the California state Legislature passed legislation allowing a streamlined pathway for homeowners to produce duplexes and split lots. But a year after the law took effect, the resulting housing production pipeline looks to be trivial. Why has the law that some were convinced would make the sky fall barely registered?

    Feb 10, 2023

  • Gun Policy in America

    Project

    Informing the Gun Policy Debate

    RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative provides information on what scientific research can tell us about the effects of gun laws. Our goal is to establish a shared set of facts that will improve public discussions and support the development of fair and effective gun policies.

    Jan 10, 2023

  • News Release

    News Release

    Evidence About Effects of Gun Policies Grows and Supports Laws Intended to Restrict Child Access to Guns

    There is now supportive evidence that child-access-prevention laws reduce firearm homicides and self-injuries among youth, and that shall-issue concealed-carry laws and stand-your-ground laws increase levels of firearm violence.

    Jan 10, 2023

  • Weapons seized in Westchester and Putnam counties on display at Westchester Police Academy in Valhalla, New York, January 27, 2022, photo by Tania Savayan/USA Today via Reuters

    Report

    Latest Findings from RAND's Gun Policy in America Study

    The third edition of RAND's report on gun policy synthesizes scientific evidence for the effects of various policies on firearm deaths, violent crime, suicides, the gun industry, defensive gun use, and other outcomes.

    Jan 10, 2023

  • Cannabis plants growing on a residential apartment balcony in Saint Julian's, Malta, September 20, 2022 , photo by Vadim Pacajev/Reuters

    Commentary

    Cannabis Legalization in Europe: Planning Ahead

    Since 2012, multiple jurisdictions have changed their laws to legalize the production, possession, and use of cannabis for nonmedical purposes. While most of these changes took place in the Americas, there are signs that the European legal landscape might be changing, too.

    Nov 9, 2022

  • A worker waters marijuana plants for the adult recreational market nside a greenhouse at Hepworth Farms in Milton, New York, July 15, 2022, photo by Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

    Commentary

    What's Next After Biden's Announcement on Cannabis and Racial Equity?

    Cannabis legalization isn't just a yes-or-no choice. There are many ways for state and federal policymakers to shape the market and tax it. With deliberations in Washington, D.C., beginning and more states set to vote on the issue in November, now is the time for lawmakers to take stock of how potential changes will or won't help communities of color.

    Oct 11, 2022

  • A man carries a sign calling for gun reform during a rally and march against gun violence at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., July 13, 2022, photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/Reuters

    Commentary

    A New Era for Firearm Violence Prevention Research

    Despite many remaining obstacles, the United States may soon have research that clarifies many of the unanswered questions about firearm violence and its prevention. Many critical research questions, neglected for decades, may now benefit from recent federal and private research funding that has supported a surge in research.

    Oct 4, 2022

  • Signs proclaiming a gun-free zone at an entrance point to Times Square, in New York City, September 1, 2022, photo by Richard B. Levine/Reuters

    Commentary

    Facts Still Matter, Even If the Court Signals Otherwise

    The Supreme Court's recent decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen threatens to render decades of scientific studies legally irrelevant. But there is still room for research to inform court decisions about firearm regulations.

    Oct 4, 2022

  • The U.S. Supreme Court at dusk, in Washington, D.C., August 7, 2022, photo by Graeme Sloan/Reuters

    Commentary

    State Gun Regulations Are a Messy Patchwork. The Supreme Court's Bruen Decision Won't Help

    The Supreme Court's decision may not actually narrow the policy gap between states sharply divided over their approach to regulating guns. Rather, its result may not look very different than what we have today—a patchwork of laws that often reflect political and policy demands of individual states.

    Aug 22, 2022

  • Congressman and Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking Co-Chair David Trone speaks on a RAND panel discussing the commission's findings, July 2022

    Multimedia

    What Policy Changes Could Help Save Lives from Illicit Synthetic Opioids Overdose?

    In this recording of a July 2022 virtual event, experts discuss findings from the final report by the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, and recommendations to reduce the number of lives lost to illicit synthetic opioids.

    Aug 18, 2022

  • A concerned young woman looks at a pregnancy test, photo by VioletaStoimenova/Getty Images

    Commentary

    How Policies That Punish Pregnant Women Backfire

    There is overwhelming evidence and consensus from the medical and public health communities that supportive approaches are what help pregnant women with substance use disorders. Unfortunately, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has opened the door for more policies that police and punish women rather than these solutions that can save lives.

    Aug 2, 2022

  • Student walks through an archway at Cambridge University, photo by burcintuncer/Getty Images

    Commentary

    New Legislation May Not Be Enough to Counter Chinese Interference in British Universities

    There is alarming evidence of growing Chinese espionage and influence in UK universities that could threaten UK national security and academic freedoms. Three complementary initiatives could increase university researchers' awareness of the potential risks of collaborating with certain Chinese partners.

    Jul 8, 2022

  • Sacramento Capitol Building, California, USA

    Tool

    The RAND State Firearm Law Database

    As part of the Gun Policy in America initiative, RAND developed a longitudinal data set of state and District of Columbia firearm laws from 1979 to January 2021 to support improved analysis and understanding of the effects of gun laws.

    Jun 28, 2022

  • Memorial crosses for the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 26, 2022, photo by Veronica G. Cardenas/Reuters

    Commentary

    The Gun Laws That Work, and the Gun Laws That Don't

    Are certain gun laws and regulations likely to improve or worsen public safety? At a time when many Americans are searching for solutions to the country's intolerably high rates of gun violence, social scientists can help provide answers.

    May 27, 2022

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