Firearm Legislation Linked with Fewer Fatal Police Shootings

This chapter studies how states with stricter firearm legislation have fewer fatal police shootings—defined as the rate of people killed by law enforcement agencies. The authors of a 2017 study used two data sources to show this relationship: the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence’s legislative scorecard for firearm laws; and The Counted, an online database produced by The Guardian to assess the number of fatal police shootings. The analysis showed that, even after controlling for age, education, violent crime rates, and household gun ownership, states with the strongest firearm legislation had a 51% lower incidence of fatal police shootings compared to states with the weakest firearm laws. The study also assessed the relationship between different types of legislation and rates of fatal police shootings. Laws that strengthen background checks, promote child and consumer safety, and reduce gun trafficking are linked to lower rates of fatal police shootings.

State Gun Policy and Cross-State Externalities: Evidence from Crime Gun Tracing

This paper provides a theoretical and empirical analysis of cross-state externalities associated with gun regulations that impact gun trafficking. Using tracing data, which identify the source state for crime guns recovered in destination states, we find that firearms tend to flow from states with weak laws to states with strict laws, satisfying a key theoretical condition for the existence of externalities. We also find that gun flows are more significant between nearby states, suggesting that externalities are spatial in nature. Finally, we present evidence that criminal possession of guns is higher in states exposed to weak laws in nearby states. (JEL H76, K14, K42)