M.D. Harmon’s April 4 column, “ ‘More guns, less crime’ just got proved all over again,” cites a scholarly article published in the most recent issue of the journal Applied Economics Letters.
Harmon quotes the article’s author, Professor Mark Gius, in support of Harmon’s well-known views on the Second Amendment. What Mr. Harmon does not tell us is that Gius’ statistical analysis identified a number of other variables that explained more of the variation in state-level murder rates than did restrictive concealed-carry laws.
In contrast to Harmon’s column, Professor Gius’ research is a work of empirical social science, not political ideology. Explaining the effect of concealed-carry laws is no simple thing, as Gius makes clear to anyone bothering to read beyond the article’s abstract. Informative and carefully executed as Professor Gius’ research is, it “proves” nothing. What it does do is add to the body of empirical research on the impact of our patchwork of gun laws – research that Gius admits is mixed and even contradictory.
Finally, if more guns mean less crime (as Harmon asserts), how might he explain the most recent mass shooting at what has to be one of the more well-armed and heavily fortified places in America (Fort Hood) in a state (Texas) that has arguably the least restrictive gun laws in the country?
Send questions/comments to the editors.
-
Scarborough Leader
Story Walk at Pleasant Hill Preserve begins Earth Day
-
Local & State
Maine CDC reports 409 COVID-19 cases, one death
-
Green Plate Special
Toast the 2021 Source Award winners with a homemade concoction
-
Opinion
Maine Observer: Pandemic pounds reach panic level
-
Local & State
Young people driving case counts higher in Maine, other New England states
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi {SUB NAME}, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have one? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.