Firearm Violence in Relation to State Legislation: Does stricter legislation result in lower rates of gun violence?

Abstract

Every year, tens of thousands of U.S. civilians are affected by firearm violence yet gun control is still heavily debated. The relationship between gun ownership and violence is hotly disputed and highly politicized; much of this stems from the fact that the research is inconclusive on the direction and strength of this relationship. The research that has been done struggles to find clear evidence because the task of identifying precisely the nature of gun policies is a difficult one. This study seeks to help clarify the problem by examining correlations between legislation and gun violence. Found literature supports the finding that gun laws have significant, but varying, relationships with firearm incident rates. A policy change between 2013-2015, allows concealed carrying of long guns,and requires permits to purchase handguns. These were found to be positively correlated with an increase in gun violence. Allowing individuals to openly carry handguns and requiring permits to purchase long guns were correlated with decreases in gun violence. Future research is encouraged to examine the effects of gun control policies via time series analysis, and more closely investigate the relationship between laws and violence to ensure that legislation is effective.