Does Gun Control Reduce Violent Crime?

Kleck, Gary; Kovandzic, Tomislav Victor; Bellows, Jon

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2807634

Cited by 5 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…It is not just a matter of chance that only the third group of criminologists and 3 studies out of some 40, use a valid proxy for gun ownership, accounts for its endogenous nature, and includes more than five significant control variables (Kleck and Patterson ; Kovandzic, Schaffer, and Kleck ). All prior studies on the effects of gun ownership levels on crime that used a valid proxy for gun levels and valid instruments for gun ownership point to more guns, at least, do not mean more crime while those that neglect both aspects tend to favor the “more guns, more crime” hypothesis (Kovandzic and Marvell ; Kovandzic, Marvell, and Vieraitis ; Kleck ; Kleck, Kovandzic, and Bellows ; Moore ).…”

Section: Prior Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Let G , P , and C , respectively, denote gun control law, gun level, and crime rate. The association between gun levels and gun laws arises from the political risks involved with introducing stricter gun control laws in areas of profound social gun culture and high gun ownership (Kleck, Kovandzic, and Bellows ). This situation is depicted in Fig.…”

Section: Gun Policy and Causal Reasoningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This in turn may facilitate the commission of certain types of crimes, such as robbery ( the facilitating effect ). The sight of a gun during an altercation may also trigger violence (Kleck, Kovandzic, and Bellows ). Proponents further argue that the risk factors associated with the choice of weapon are greater for firearm due to its lethality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The way gun control laws could affect crime rates is even more intricate. Gun control laws are designed to reduce crime and violence by blocking acquisition, possession, and use of guns in the high‐risk population, such as drug addicts, convicted criminals, and severely mentally ill individuals, who are susceptible of committing criminal acts (Kleck, Kovandzic, and Bellows ). In the presence of high gun ownership in the overall population, whether stricter gun control laws would reduce crime and violence is a knotty problem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another spillover is that stricter gun control laws incentivize criminals to acquire guns from neighboring jurisdictions where laws are lenient. If laws are able to distinguish high‐risk groups from the rest of the population, but only imperfectly, stricter gun control laws may disarm low‐risk population, reduce their ability to defend themselves in a criminal event, and consequently increase crime rates (Kleck, Kovandzic, and Bellows ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Guns and Homicides: A Multiscale Geographically Weighted Instrumental Variables Approach

Bilgel

2019

Geographical Analysis

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This article assesses the locally varying effects of gun ownership levels on total and gun homicide rates in the contiguous United States using cross-sectional county data for the period 2009-2015. Employing a multiscale geographically weighted instrumental variables regression that takes into account spatial nonstationarity in the processes and the endogenous nature of gun ownership levels, estimates show that gun ownership exerts spatially monotonically negative effects on total and gun homicide rates, indicating that there are no counties supporting the "more guns, more crime" hypothesis for these two highly important crime categories. The number of counties in the contiguous United States where the "more guns, less crime" hypothesis is confirmed is limited to at least 1258 counties (44.8% of the sample) with the strongest total homicide-decreasing effects concentrated in southeastern Texas and the deep south. On the other hand, stricter state gun control laws exert spatially monotonically negative effects on gun homicide rates with the strongest effects concentrated in the southern tip of Texas extending toward the deep south.

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Section: Prior Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gun Policy and Causal Reasoningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Guns and Homicides: A Multiscale Geographically Weighted Instrumental Variables Approach

Bilgel

2019

Geographical Analysis

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Firearm Ownership, Defensive Gun Usage, and Support for Gun Control: Does Knowledge Matter?

et al. 2021

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Recent incidents of gun violence have raised questions about public access to “military-style” firearms and the need for more-restrictive forms of gun control. Proponents of more-restrictive forms of gun regulation argue that such measures will help combat the disproportionately high rates of gun crime in the United States. Opponents believe that such measures infringe upon constitutional rights and hinder law-abiding citizens' abilities to adequately defend themselves. This project explores the characteristics of gun owners living in Pennsylvania and public perceptions of three different categories of gun control. Results indicate that most gun owners have received some form of training and take appropriate safety precautions with their firearms. Further, 1 in 4 gun owners reported using their firearm in self-defense at some point in their life. Regarding gun control, most participants favored strategies intended to keep guns away from dangerous and “at risk” people, such as required background checks for all types of gun purchases, mental health screenings, and mandatory gun education. However, most participants opposed complete firearm bans. Among those who are the least supportive of such polices are those who are the most knowledgeable about gun crime, gun legislation, and gun functioning. Policy implications are discussed within. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12103-021-09644-7.

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State Gun Control Laws, Gun Ownership and the Supply of Homicide Organ Donors

Bilgel

2020

International Review of Law and Economics

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Does Gun Control Reduce Violent Crime?

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

Guns and Homicides: A Multiscale Geographically Weighted Instrumental Variables Approach

Guns and Homicides: A Multiscale Geographically Weighted Instrumental Variables Approach

Firearm Ownership, Defensive Gun Usage, and Support for Gun Control: Does Knowledge Matter?

State Gun Control Laws, Gun Ownership and the Supply of Homicide Organ Donors

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