http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/1/23/16406439.cfm
Concealed guns criticized
Study challenges lower-crime theory
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON -- State laws that allow private citizens to carry concealed weapons do not reduce crime and may increase it, according to a study released Wednesday by the Brookings Institution.
The findings, by Stanford University law professor John Donohue, contradict a highly influential study by economist John Lott, currently a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who in 1997 concluded that by adopting such laws, states can substantially curb violent crime.
Since the late 1970s, 33 states have enacted "shall-issue" or "right-to-carry" laws, which require law-enforcement authorities to issue handgun permits to qualified applicants. Among the states are Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Utah and Nevada.
Donohue's study, which builds on work with Ian Ayres, a law professor at Yale University, will appear in "Evaluating Gun Policy," a book to be released by Brookings this month. The book also includes a separate study by Philip Cook and Jens Ludwig, professors at Duke and Georgetown universities, who conclude that gun ownership may actually increase the risk of being burglarized in the United States.
Donohue's study will also be published in the May issue of the Stanford Law Review -- side by side with an updated study by Lott, who defends his position and rejects Donohue's findings. Though they differ in methodology, both studies attempt to control for outside factors that may influence crime rates.
Donohue said right-to-carry laws may deter violent crimes, such as murder or robbery, in some situations, while encouraging them in others. For example, he said, an attacker may wrest control of a handgun away from his victim, who may be less experienced in handling firearms, and use it against the victim.
Also, otherwise law-abiding citizens may become "emboldened to do bad things, some of them violent" in the heat of the moment, Donohue said.
By contrast, Lott -- whose position is summed up in the title of his 1998 book, "More Guns, Less Crime" -- says that in states with right-to-carry laws, criminals are more wary of armed citizens who are prepared to defend themselves.
Concealed guns criticized
Study challenges lower-crime theory
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON -- State laws that allow private citizens to carry concealed weapons do not reduce crime and may increase it, according to a study released Wednesday by the Brookings Institution.
The findings, by Stanford University law professor John Donohue, contradict a highly influential study by economist John Lott, currently a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who in 1997 concluded that by adopting such laws, states can substantially curb violent crime.
Since the late 1970s, 33 states have enacted "shall-issue" or "right-to-carry" laws, which require law-enforcement authorities to issue handgun permits to qualified applicants. Among the states are Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Utah and Nevada.
Donohue's study, which builds on work with Ian Ayres, a law professor at Yale University, will appear in "Evaluating Gun Policy," a book to be released by Brookings this month. The book also includes a separate study by Philip Cook and Jens Ludwig, professors at Duke and Georgetown universities, who conclude that gun ownership may actually increase the risk of being burglarized in the United States.
Donohue's study will also be published in the May issue of the Stanford Law Review -- side by side with an updated study by Lott, who defends his position and rejects Donohue's findings. Though they differ in methodology, both studies attempt to control for outside factors that may influence crime rates.
Donohue said right-to-carry laws may deter violent crimes, such as murder or robbery, in some situations, while encouraging them in others. For example, he said, an attacker may wrest control of a handgun away from his victim, who may be less experienced in handling firearms, and use it against the victim.
Also, otherwise law-abiding citizens may become "emboldened to do bad things, some of them violent" in the heat of the moment, Donohue said.
By contrast, Lott -- whose position is summed up in the title of his 1998 book, "More Guns, Less Crime" -- says that in states with right-to-carry laws, criminals are more wary of armed citizens who are prepared to defend themselves.