The Influence of Gun Ownership and State Gun Laws on Citizen Justifiable Homicides in Large U.S. Cities

This study examines community level influencers for citizen justifiable homicides in 167 large U.S. cities from 1980 to 2010 using panel estimation techniques. We perform the first fixed-effects city level analysis of this homicide outcome. We find gun ownership measured by a proxy, firearm suicide rate, to be a positive and significant predictor for justifiable homicides. State gun laws are also assessed including Stand Your Ground, Conceal Carry Weapon, Permit to Purchase, and Universal Background Check laws. All four state gun laws are significantly associated with justifiable homicides. Finally, we disaggregate justifiable homicides by race of the victim and find differences in predictors for Black Victim and White Victim justifiable homicides.