Study: Concealed Carry Saves Lives, Assault Weapons Ban Had 'Little to No Effect'

A new study published in the latest issue of Applied Economic Letters lays low nearly every claim made by gun control proponents and shines a light on the successes of concealed carry on a state-by-state basis.

Specifically, the study shows that less restrictive concealed carry laws save lives, while gun control can endanger them. It also shows that gun control measures like “assault weapons” bans do not reduce state-level murder rates.

The author of the study is Quinnipiac University economist Mark Gius.

In the abstract of the study, Gius states:

Using data for the period 1980 to 2009 and controlling for state and year fixed effects, the results of the present study suggest that states with restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons had higher gun-related murder rates than other states. It also found that assault weapons bans did not significantly affect murder rates at the state level. 

Gius shows that the study actually suggests that “restrictive concealed weapons laws may cause an increase in gun-related murders at the state level.”

Tommy Christopher and other critics of Gius’ study claim many commentators have used only the abstract to write articles in support of Gius’ work. These critics argue that an abstract alone is not sufficient to validate what Gius has done. 

It is important to note that Breitbart News obtained the entire study–not just the abstract–and the more we read the more support we found for Gius’ claims. 

For example, beyond the abstract Gius explains what he means by “restricted” versus “unrestricted” concealed carry laws. He does this by showing that every state has one of four laws: “unrestricted,” “shall issue,” “may issue,” and “no issue.” Of the four, “may issue” and “no issue” are the most restricted, and states with these laws demonstrated “gun-related murder rates that were 10 percent higher” than less restricted states.

In the “Literature Review” section of the study, Gius examines the impact of the federal “assault weapons ban.” He cites a 2001 study by Koper and Roth showing “the Federal ban had little to no effect on homicide rates associated with firearms and on gunshot wounds per victim.” 

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.