Some States Issue a License to Kill

After the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting just over five years ago, the executive vice presidents of the National Rifle Association (NRA) Wayne LaPierre said, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

In 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) published a report found that only 3% of active shooter incidents between 2000 – 2013 were stopped by armed persons who were not law enforcement. Nevertheless, the NRA has promoted the idea that armed citizens can stop crime. This has led to gun rights activists pushing for looser laws, including allowing more people to carry guns through concealed handgun licenses (CHLs).

There has been conflicting research in the past about the effectiveness of CHLs. In this recent study, public health researchers studied the relationship between shall-issue concealed-carry laws and homicide rates in the United States between 1991 – 2015. They also looked at handgun vs. long-gun homicide rates.

States with shall-issue concealed-carry laws had higher total homicide rates and firearm homicide rates compared to states with may-issue laws. Examining the data further, researchers found the increase in firearm fatalities was due to handgun homicide, not long-gun deaths.

The results fit previous research demonstrating that higher rates of gun ownership are associated with higher rates of firearm fatalities. It is not surprising. More access to guns means more firearm-related deaths and suicides. Other research has shown crime isn’t higher in the United States compared to other countries. However, our homicide rate is exceptionally high compared to other countries because of the accessibility of guns.

One aspect that could be examined further is the impact of concealed carry laws on non-lethal injuries. While there is tracking of accidents and injuries without deaths involving firearms, there is little tracking of the repeat surgeries, mental health, rehabilitation, and support services used after these injuries.

Most likely, this will not change until there is federal funding for gun violence research. Although President Obama issued an executive order that advised the CDC to start studying gun violence prevention, funding for gun violence research has been stripped from the CDC budget since 1996.

Until Congress reinstates funding, public health scientists will not have the resources to perform high quality studies that could provide definitive answers to solving gun violence. Until then, how many more lives will be lost?

commentary by May Nguyen

Abstract

Objectives. To examine the relation of “shall-issue” laws, in which permits must be issued if requisite criteria are met; “may-issue” laws, which give law enforcement officials wide discretion over whether to issue concealed firearm carry permits or not; and homicide rates. Methods. We compared homicide rates in shall-issue and may-issue states and total, firearm, nonfirearm, handgun, and long-gun homicide rates in all 50 states during the 25-year period of 1991 to 2015. We included year and state fixed effects and numerous state-level factors in the analysis. Results. Shall-issue laws were significantly associated with 6.5% higher total homicide rates, 8.6% higher firearm homicide rates, and 10.6% higher handgun homicide rates, but were not significantly associated with long-gun or nonfirearm homicide. Conclusions. Shall-issue laws are associated with significantly higher rates of total, firearm-related, and handgun-related homicide.

PMID: 29048964

Siegel, M et al. AJPH. 2017; 107(12): 1923-1929.