TITLE: Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? (2013)
SOURCE: Journal of Human Resources
AUTHOR(S): Cheng Cheng & Mark Hoekstra
LINK: http://econweb.tamu.edu/mhoekstra/castle_doctrine.pdf
BITLY WEB STATS: http://bit.ly/MCmKwC+

RESEARCH QUESTION: Do “stand your ground” laws (present in 20 states) deter crimes?
FINDINGS: Results indicate the laws do not deter burglary, robbery, or aggravated assault.  In contrast, they lead to a statistically significant 8 percent net increase in the number of reported murders & non-negligent manslaughters.