Deregulation of public civilian gun carrying and violent crimes: A longitudinal analysis 1981–2019

Abstract

Research Summary

We utilized the synthetic difference-in-difference method to estimate the impact of adopting a permitless concealed carry weapons (CCW) law on rates of assaults, robberies, and homicides committed with a firearm and by other means, as well as weapons arrests, from 1981 to 2019. We stratified permitless CCW laws by whether they previously prohibited violent misdemeanants from obtaining a CCW permit or previously required live firearm training to obtain a permit prior to law adoption. Findings robust to sensitivity analyses suggest that states that lost a training requirement to obtain a CCW permit had 21 additional gun assaults per 100,000 population (SE = 5.2) (32% increase).

Policy Implications

In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, states should implement CCW permitting law provisions that may reduce the risk of firearm violence. Requiring live firearm training prior to carry a concealed weapon may attenuate negative health impacts of deregulation associated with permitless CCW laws.