Study Reveals That More Armed, Law-Abiding Citizens Results in Less Murder . . . Who Knew?

A new study by Quinnipiac’s Mark Gius adds more intellectual ammunition to the RKBA arsenal.  Gius’ study, published in Applied Economics Letters, found that between 1980 and 2009, murder rates were typically higher in states that had stricter concealed carry laws.  After adjusting for variables, the study found, as quoted in the abstract: “states with restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons had higher gun-related murder rates than other states” and that “assault weapons bans did not significantly affect murder rates at the state level.”  Not only did Gius’ study conclude that no appreciable benefit is arrived at by enacting and enforcing strict concealed carry laws and “assault weapons” bans, but suggest that the concealed carry “restrictive concealed weapons laws may cause an increase in gun-related murders . . .”  As students of this debate know well, this study is not alone, but only confirms other studies, such as the one released 15 years ago by John Lott and David Mustard.