Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2023

Journal Title

International Social Science Journal

Volume Number

73

Issue Number

248

First Page

279

Last Page

323

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12396

Version

Publisher PDF: the final published version of the article, with professional formatting and typesetting

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND License.

Disciplines

Peace and Conflict Studies

Abstract

We estimate the first econometric model of the national civilian firearms market in the United States (1946–2016), where per capita firearms-related harm is exceptionally high. Solving simultaneous equation models instrumented by natural disasters and steel prices, and employing unique firearms prices and quantities data, we find this market operates normally, except that firearms stocks may generate some new market demand in a positive feedback loop. Save for the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (1994–2004), federal firearms legislation does not influence firearms sales. We find that violent crime, including homicide and mass shootings, boosts domestic sales.

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