NCJ Number
174718
Journal
Journal of Legal Studies Volume: 26 Issue: 1 Dated: January 1997 Pages: 1-68
Date Published
1997
Length
68 pages
Annotation
An analysis of cross-sectional time-series data for counties from 1977 to 1992 aimed to determine the effect of laws that allow citizens to carry concealed weapons.
Abstract
Results of the regression analyses revealed that these laws deter violent crimes without increasing accidental deaths. The data also revealed that if States without laws supporting the right to carry concealed handguns had adopted such laws in 1992, approximately 1,500 murders would have been avoided each year. Similarly, rapes would have declined by more than 4,000, robberies by more than 11,000, and aggravated assaults by more than 60,000. The analysis also indicated that criminals would replace violent crimes with property crimes involving stealth, where the probability of contact between the criminal and the victim is minimal. The data also indicated that higher arrest and conviction rates consistently reduced crime. Findings suggested that the estimated annual gain from the adoption of these laws by all remaining States would be at least $5.74 billion in 1992, and that the annual social benefit from an additional concealed handgun permit is as high as $5,000. Tables and footnotes