Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? (2013)

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.

Gun Violence Annual Cost: $12 billion (2013)

TITLE: Gun Violence Annual Cost: $12 billion (2013)
SOURCE: USA Today
AUTHOR:  Kelly Kennedy
LINK: http://www.freep.com/article/20130305/FEATURES01/130305010/Gun-violence-annual-cost-12-billion
BITLY WEB STATS: https://bitly.com/10FhJJO+

NOTE: Gunshot wounds and deaths cost Americans at least $12 billion a year in court proceedings, insurance costs and hospitalizations paid for by government health programs; (2) medical care for a fatal shooting averages >$28K

Link Between Gun Possession & Gun Assault (2009)

TITLE: Investigating the Link Between Gun Possession & Gun Assault (2009)
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health
AUTHOR(S): C.C.Branas, et al.
URL: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2008.143099
WEB STATS: https://bitly.com/xr3n8z+
FIELD: Public Health

RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the relationship between possession of gun & being shot in an assault?

FINDINGS: (1) On average, guns have not protected those who possessed them from being shot in an assault; (2) Individuals in possession of a gun were 4.46X more likely to be shot during an assault than individuals who were not in possession of a gun when assaulted; (3) When the victim had an opportunity to defend self (i.e. use gun), an armed victim was 5.45X more likely to be shot than an unarmed victim.

TWEETS: https://twitter.com/hospiceman/status/304693111760773120

 

More Guns, More Crime (2000)

TITLE: More Guns, More Crime
AUTHOR(S): Mark Duggan
SOURCE:  National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

MAIN URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w7967.pdf?new_window=1
BITLY STATS:  http://bit.ly/PrBpPP
FIELD(S):  Economics

RESEARCH FOCUS/QUESTION: Relationship between gun ownership & crime.
FINDINGS: (1) The gun ownership rate is positively correlated with the homicide rate; (2) The gun ownership rate has no significant bearing on rates of other crimes. (3) Concealed Carry laws do not reduce crime.