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Journal of Urban Health
Published in: Journal of Urban Health 2/2014

01-04-2014

Effects of the Repeal of Missouri’s Handgun Purchaser Licensing Law on Homicides

Authors: Daniel Webster, Cassandra Kercher Crifasi, Jon S. Vernick

Published in: Journal of Urban Health | Issue 2/2014

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Abstract

In the USA, homicide is a leading cause of death for young males and a major cause of racial disparities in life expectancy for men. There are intense debate and little rigorous research on the effects of firearm sales regulation on homicides. This study estimates the impact of Missouri’s 2007 repeal of its permit-to-purchase (PTP) handgun law on states’ homicide rates and controls for changes in poverty, unemployment, crime, incarceration, policing levels, and other policies that could potentially affect homicides. Using death certificate data available through 2010, the repeal of Missouri’s PTP law was associated with an increase in annual firearm homicides rates of 1.09 per 100,000 (+23 %) but was unrelated to changes in non-firearm homicide rates. Using Uniform Crime Reporting data from police through 2012, the law’s repeal was associated with increased annual murders rates of 0.93 per 100,000 (+16 %). These estimated effects translate to increases of between 55 and 63 homicides per year in Missouri.
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Metadata
Title
Effects of the Repeal of Missouri’s Handgun Purchaser Licensing Law on Homicides
Authors
Daniel Webster
Cassandra Kercher Crifasi
Jon S. Vernick
Publication date
01-04-2014
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Urban Health / Issue 2/2014
Print ISSN: 1099-3460
Electronic ISSN: 1468-2869
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-014-9865-8

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