Economist Marc Gius, of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., published his study, An Examination of the Effects of Concealed Weapons Laws and Assault Weapons Bans on State-Level Murder Rates, in Applied Economic Letters. In the study Gius found intriguing evidence suggesting restrictive guns laws do little to curb murders committed with guns. Instead, the data implied the opposite conclusion.
According to the study’s abstract, Gius found states with bans on so called “assault weapons” did not have significantly lower gun-related murder rates than other states. Furthermore, he found states with restrictions on concealed carry weapons had higher gun-related murder rates than other states.
Gius’ conclusion: “These results suggest that restrictive concealed weapons laws may cause an increase in gun-related murders at the state level.”
For anyone paying attention to the national news, this should come as no surprise. Cities with some of the nation’s most restrictive gun laws also boast among the highest rates of gun-related murders. It is only natural those sorts of micro-level trends would carry over to the macro level.
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