August 10, 2005
More on carrying concealed weapons laws
In 2004 the National Academy of Sciences performed a very thorough analysis of the research that has been done on whether or not laws which allow the carrying of concealed weapons reduces crime.
From the conclusion:
No link between right-to-carry laws and changes in crime is apparent in the raw data, even in the initial sample; it is only once numerous covariates are included that the negative results in the early data emerge. While the trend models show a reduction in the crime growth rate following the adoption of right-to-carry laws, these trend reductions occur long after law adoption, casting serious doubt on the proposition that the trend models estimated in the literature reflect effects of the law change
Update: I adopted the more accurate 'carry concealed weapons' phrase, as opposed to 'concealed weapons laws', as the latter was ambiguous as to whether they were laws prohibiting or allowing concealed weapons.
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