NCJ Number
177170
Journal
Journal of Legal Studies Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Dated: January 1998 Pages: 221-243
Date Published
1998
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article discusses evidence that allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed handguns deters criminals.
Abstract
The article discusses statistical data in support of the claim that allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed handguns deters criminals. The more permits that are issued over time, the greater the decline in violent crime; the counties and States that issued the most new permits experienced the greatest drops. Violent crime rates rose until the point that nondiscretionary concealed-handgun laws were adopted and then fell after that point. The results are consistent across different samples. The article addresses claims that dispute these assertions (see NCJ-177169), presents new evidence on the effect of these laws across States and over time, and discusses the results' sensitivity to different samples, the importance of differencing variables, and critics' desire to exclude fixed county effects. Notes, figures, tables