Have laws banning the sale of handguns cut down on violent crime, as their advocates promised?

Here are some of the facts uncovered in studies:

• Justice Department figures show that only one in ten violent crimes involves the use of a gun.

• A 1986 survey found that five out of six gun-owning felons got their guns on the black market or stole them, rather than purchasing them from retailers who would obey gun laws.

• Another study revealed that police officers fear bans on so-called Saturday night specials will simply force criminals to move to higher-caliber handguns.

Some criminologists report they cannot substantiate any difference in crime rates between states that pass gun bans and those that have not.

• Even though Maryland passed a ban on Saturday night specials in 1988, homicide rates climbed 20 percent the following year and stayed at that level through 1994.

• And the number of gun-related homicides grew almost 30 percent between 1988 and 1994.

• During the same period, the national homicide rate grew just 8 percent.

• Studies indicate that Americans use guns of all types to defend themselves 2.5 million times each year, while guns are used in just over 500,000 crimes each year.

Source: Charles Oliver, "A New Way to Control Crime?" Investor's Business Daily, February 6, 1996.